Lost and Found
by Antigone2
Summary: AUish. The Dark Kingdom descends upon Tokyo five years later than in the original story, while the senshi fervently try protect their precious princess, the reborn shitennou seek her power for good, and Usagi tries to find herself amid battles and memories and romance. Mix of anime/manga characterizations. AU canon. Rated T for language.
1. Prologue

So this is something that was just bouncing around in my head. It's sort of AUish but not completely. Imagine a world where the shitennou were reborn and not captured by Beryl a second time (the first time in SilMil, yes). This delays the Dark Kingdom attack about 5 years, but they are gearing up. (This means everything that happens in Sailor Moon seasons 1-5 doesn't happen.)

The shitennou meet each other and Mamoru in America (when Mamoru leaves to study abroad). They are all aware of their past lives, through various memories surfacing, etc.

Meanwhile, in Japan, the senshi are fervently protecting their precious Usagi - their princess - from the Dark Kingdom and from herself and her own powers (as the ginzuishou can kill its wielder)

As is the tradition in fandom, the reborn shitennou all have first names that start with the same letter as their anime counterparts. If there is any confusion on who is who, let me know.

**Prologue**

* * *

**Juuban Tokyo - 1997**

"A jewelry store?" Jun shifted his umbrella from one tired hand to the other and shot an annoyed look at the taller man next to him. "You dragged me out in the rain to a fucking jewelry store? You said this was important!" Gritting his teeth, Jun looked at his prized converse sneakers, brand-name and brand-new, getting soaked through with dirty runoff water as the rain pounded all around them.

His companion merely rolled his eyes in response. "Yes, it is a jewelry store. And I said it _may_ be important." Kosuke took two wide steps across the sidewalk to Osa-P Jewelry and entered the store, leaving Jun to scramble in behind him.

"Welcome customer!" a pleasant female voice rang out, and a young red-headed lady stepped out from behind a counter. "May I help you chose something today?"

Kosuke gracefully slipped his umbrella into the plastic sheath at the door, and stepped into the shop, "Yes thank you Miss… Naru," he read her name tag and bowed slightly. "Last time I was here I was looking for a gift for my girlfriend and I was helped by a lovely young lady named, let's see," here he patted his jacket, with a very schooled look of thoughtfulness. "Ah, yes, here it is," he pulled out a business card and read, "A one Tsukino Usagi. Is she in today?"

Naru smiled, "Oh I'm sorry. Miss Tsukino has just this minute left for the evening. But I'd be happy to help you and make sure she gets –"

"No need," Kosuke said smoothly, already backing out the door, "I'll come back thank you." He grabbed Jun, who was still struggling with this wet umbrella and making quite a puddle by the door, "we'll be leaving now."

And they were out the door and hurrying down the block and around the back alley.

"What the actual fuck are you doing?" Jun shouted in mostly Japanese, peppered with curses in his native Mandarin, "now she's going to think we are suspicious and also what 'girlfriend' are you buying jewelry for you giant lia—"

He was silenced by running straight into Kosuke's back as he stopped short on the corner near the back door of Osa-P, where a girl with long blonde pigtails was standing under the shelter of a bus stop, digging through her purse with knitted brows and an exasperated expression.

"Well?" Kosuke said, turning toward Jun.

"What?" Jun snapped. "Is that the poor girl you've been stalking? She looks pissed."

Kosuke nodded. "Probably because she's missing this," he said, pressing a flat card into Jun's hand.

The younger man looked down to see a commuter bus pass with the past month's date stamped on it, along with a girl's name 'Tsukino Usagi'.

"You giant dick what the—"

"She just dropped it on the way to work this morning. I'm a scholar, not a pickpocket. For fuck's sake, Jun. Go return it to her," Kosuke said, "I just want you to have a word or two. See what you think."

"Think about WHAT?" he demanded, but it soon became clear he'd receive no answer from his stoic friend.

Finally, with one last snarl at Kosuke, Jun stomped over to bus stop, not bothering to open his umbrella or shake the rain from his hair or eyelashes. "Excuse me, miss."

She turned, and blinked at him and he froze in her gaze. "Yeah?"

"You uh. You dropped this."

"Oh!," she reached for the pass, and for a moment their fingers touched as she slid the card from his palm. "Thank you so much!" The anger clouding her eyes cleared and she smiled at him from under a frame of blonde bangs and dark lashes. "I had no idea I even had it out – are you… okay?"

Jun managed to nod, just as the bus pulled up.

"Listen, um, do you want a reward or something because my bus is here but, look. Uh." She pulled a card out of her purse and pressed it into his hand, "I work at Osa-P jewelry, so I can give you a 20% discount okay? I'm working tomorrow come see me. I mean," she suddenly giggled, a blush coloring her face. "Obviously you might not wear jewelry but maybe your mom or girlfriend or something. I don't know, well." She flushed one more time, and then bit her lip, lowered her gaze, waved and disappeared onto the downtown 6 bus.

"Well," Kosuke said, walking up behind Jun with his hands in his pockets. "It seems you see what I see, then. Funny, she always _did_ think you were cute."

"Holy shit," Jun managed to sputter out finally. "You actually found her."

* * *

**Boston, Massachusetts - 1996**

** (Six months earlier)**

"They are going to make a move," Nate said, walking from the kitchen to join the other two men in the living room of the cramped apartment. He stood by a frost covered window but didn't look out. "Soon."

Jun and Kosuke were silent. They knew of whom Nate spoke, rather, of what. They also knew of his ability, and how he might know of their future movements.

Somewhere nearby a staticy radio station played Christmas carols and commercials for sales and fabric softeners and TVs – but the three men didn't hear it, thinking of monsters and caves and bloodthirsty queens, destroyed kingdoms, and a dead monarch they failed to protect. The Dark Kingdom of which Nate – Nephrite - spoke.

Finally Nate broke the silence, "We need it now more than ever."

"Thanks Mr. Obvious," said Jun.

"It's _Captain_ Obvious, " Nate said, "Fuck, if you are going to try to use American jokes at least them right. And try to be original. And funny, while you are at it."

"Prick," Jun muttered, slithering down into the sofa and crossing his arms.

"So," Kosuke said, talking over the two younger men, "If I were an ancient and mysterious artifact of infinite power, where would I be?"

"With the one would could wield me," Nate said, simply.

"Her? Well, Queen Serenity has been dead since before the dawn of recorded time," Jun said. "So, ya know. Not helpful."

"Do you think that just _anyone_ could use it?" Nate said to Kosuke. And then he spoke up, maybe carelessly, and in hindsight he wasn't sure why. Perhaps because he was sick of being quiet, of tiptoeing around what could be the crux of their mission. "The ginzuishou is all that is left of the lunar royal family and it is most likely guarded by those who believe it is not for the likes of us."

By those who they are not sure they can face again.

"And if so, they would be correct," Kosuke said, seemingly unfazed. "Queen Serenity may have died when the Silver Millennium fell, but if you recall," he raised his eyebrows sardonically at Nate, "she did have an heir. The blood of the Moon Kingdom. The princess can also use the crystal." When he finished his voice was quieter. More reverent.

Nate sent a sharp glance his way and Jun paled. "You don't think –"

Just then, the sound of a key in the lock truncated the conversation and a blast of icy winter air brought Mamoru and Zachery in from the cold.

"Close the door, you are letting cold in!" Jun shouted from the sofa, burrowing in tighter. Zachery sent him a sarcastic look.

"This isn't cold, Jun. Come to Russia one day, and I'll show you cold."

Mamoru laughed, locking the door behind him and shaking the snow from his jacket.

"This is cold enough for me, Zach. It rarely snows like this in Tokyo."

It was much later that night that found Zachery brought up to speed on the conversation from earlier, him and Nate with the television muted and the others in the rooms. "Japan?" Zachery asked.

Nate shrugged. "Mamoru wants to go."

"He's not renewing his student visa a third time?"

"Apparently not," Nate shrugged again, took a sip of his beer, "Kosuke would like to go home, I know. He was only staying because Mamoru was. I wouldn't mind going back to Japan, I haven't been since my dad was stationed there."

"And Jun?"

"He says the food is good," Nate broke into a grin. "Plus, he's half Japanese so he'll fit in anyway."

"And us?"

"We'll be weird gaijin, but whatever we speak Japanese okay and Mamoru'll vouch for us." Nate's face took on a serious look in the glow of the television, his eyes suddenly sad, distant. "Plus, that's where the past few attacks have been, and where the future ones will be."

"Why Japan, why now all of a sudden?" Zachery's voice had also taken on a hushed tone.

"They must know something we don't." For a second Nate remembered what Kosuke had said right before Zachery and Mamoru had come home from classes. The crystal. The princess. The senshi. Was it possible?

"In any case," he continued, "we can't let it happen again. I'll die before I see it all happen again."

Zachery agreed, his mouth set in a straight line, looking much older than his 23 years as he responded. "We all would die before any of it happened again."

* * *

tbc in Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: **

**Juuban, Tokyo - 1997**

Usagi was just pinning her name tag on her blouse while she hurried down the sidewalk, when a beautiful woman ran up to her and pulled lightly on a pigtail. "Hey there, Usagi!"

"Eep! Mina-chan, you almost made me stab myself," the smaller girl said, but flashed a winning smile at her friend anyway.

"You didn't wait for me after English Language today, what's the deal?" Minako asked, swinging her length of golden hair behind her slim shoulders. "We usually walk back from school together." Both girls were attending the local community college together, after graduating Juuban High School.

Usagi sighed. "I'm working tonight."

"Again? Wow, Naru-chan is a harsh boss!" Minako moaned, leaning her head lightly on Usagi's shoulder and linking her arm through her friend's as she matched her in step. "I feel like I never seeeee you."

Usagi smiled wistfully. "Naru's getting married in a few months, she's very busy with wedding planning. For the sake of true love, I'm happy to pick up the slack. Besides, I'm making beau coup bucks, dearie."

"With nothing to spend it on!" Minako countered. "I never see you wearing the latest brands, and you never come out to eat or karaoke with us so, where is the money going? The bank? Who are you, Ami-chan? Jeeze."

Usagi giggled. "I promise, I'll use it for something really good and really frivolous. Like a vacation. To Hawaii."

Just then, another voice joined in the joking. "Hawaii? Ugh, how cliché. Leave it to you, Usagi to want to lie on the beach instead of doing something interesting on vacation!"

"Rei!"

The woman who joined them was impeccably dressed in a high-end suit, her long, glossy black hair pulled back in a tight braid. Her face, however, did not match her clothing, she was laughing and teasing her friends, making faces at Usagi and pulling at Minako's school bag with good humor.

"How'd the job interview go?"

"I hope terrible," Rei said, "it's some stupid thing my father's people wanted me to do. I did it, it's done, I'm back to T.A University in the morning."

"Well, I need to catch the bus for work," Usagi said, stopping in front of the bus stop and waving her friends off with a brush of her hands. "I'll see you guys another time. I promise!"

"You better! Don't make us come visit you and try on all the jewels just to leave without buying anything!" Minako teased.

"Oh, you mean again?" Usagi said.

"Be careful if you are working until closing," Rei said seriously. "I'm going have one of the girls come walk you home."

"What, really?" The bus came and Usagi climbed the steps with an exasperated look at her two friends. "I'm not fourteen, ya know!" she shouted as the bus doors closed in front of her.

"No," Minako murmured, crossing her arms as the bus drove off into busy Tokyo traffic. "But we can't have you getting shot for a diamond necklace either."

Rei took a deep breath and turned toward her friend. "I doubt a jewelry store robbery is really what we need to be worrying about now anyway. And you know what I mean."

Minako set her lips in a straight line.

"The attacks are growing more frequent. You can't do this alone for much longer."

Minako nodded. "I know. But the longer I hold out, the safer she is."

Rei sighed. "Well. If and when you need us, we are all ready and willing."

Minako nodded, smiled without turning her head to look at her friend. Instead, her fingers stretched out, brushed the side of Rei's suit jacket. "Thank you. Artemis and I – we know that."

The two girls let the silence around them hold for a few moments before Rei spoke once more.

"Luna mentioned the attacks have been increasing and we think the Dark Kingdom no longer believes you are the princess," she said.

"Then they must believe there is no princess," Minako said, firmly. "And there never will be."

* * *

"So, what do you want me to, exactly?" Jun whined. Once again, he found himself outside Osa-P jewelery, and once again he was annoyed at his friend and roommate. At least this time it wasn't raining. "I am really not in the market for 20% off gems at the moment. At least, not ones that don't have mystical powers and yadda yadda bleh."

Kosuke raised his eyebrows and sighed. "Look, go in there and _talk to her._ It shouldn't be that hard."

"She's the _princess_. Probably. She could obliterate me with her pinkie and some magic stone thing. Maybe."

"Well. That's what we are trying to find out," Kosuke said. Then he paused. "Anyway, I don't remember Serenity being the malicious sort. Now go pretend to be social and civil and charming."

Jun kicked at a drainage grate. "You are the one who has the talent for diplomacy and social skills and la-di-da. You and Nate. Send Nate."

"I already went in there in the guise of shopping, I did reconnaissance. I found her. Nate's a gaijin and too recognizable."

"Send Mamoru."

"I'm not sure that's wise at this point."

"You're goddamn Machiavellian, do you know that?"

"Just go in before they think we are casing the place, for fuck's sake, Jun." Kosuke gave Jun a little push and watched the glass doors close behind his friend.

"Machiavellian?" He sighed and turned to walk away, hands in his pockets. His fingers brushed against a folded newspaper article - one he had since Boston, folded and refolded and almost unreadable at this point.

An article about the mysterious warrior Sailor V.

* * *

"Minako, leader or not, I think you are out-voted here," Rei said.

"It's true, I think it's time to bring in the rest of the senshi," Luna stated. "The attacks are getting more frequent, and worse."

"You come back bleeding sometimes, even after transforming back. That shouldn't happen," Artemis said, placing a paw gently on Minako's knee. The blonde still didn't look up from where she was kneeling in the wide room in Rei's grandfather's shrine.

"I'm more than ready to get in there and fight for real!" Makoto said, pounding her fist into the floor. "I'm sick of training and running through exercises. You are getting hurt out there and we can help you!"

"But think about it," Minako said, "If the Dark Kingdom sees more and more senshi appearing, they may guess we are protecting something." She looked up, locked gazes with Luna's golden feline eyes. "Or someone."

"They are escalating," Rei said. "And we need to escalate right along with them. It's the only way to truly protect Usagi. The time for stealth has passed, and now it's time to hit them full on!"

"Perhaps, if we only brought out one more senshi to start?" Ami suggested. "It wouldn't draw too much attention. And even one ally could be a great asset in these battles."

"And you could become Sailor Venus," Artemis said, "instead of Sailor V. We can slowly rebuild the full senshi team, little by little and be ready for whatever big thing they are most certainly cooking up."

"Well, then, who goes first?" Makoto said. "I suggest me."

"Fine, since you are so eager and raring to go," Artemis said. "Welcome aboard."

Rei and Ami looked at each other. "Well, I guess we'll just go have tea and cookies in the garden," Rei said in falsetto.

"Oh, please, you know you'll get your chance," Makoto said, pushing back her bangs and cracking her knuckles. "If there is anything left of the Dark Kingdom when I get through with them. Usagi is safe when I'm around."

"Speaking of, where is Usagi today?" Luna asked.

"We talked on the phone last night, and she was telling me about some guy who returned her commuter pass when she dropped it the other day. Yesterday, he came into her work and asked her out for coffee totally randomly," Makoto said. "I think she's out with him at Crown Fruits Parlor now."

Minako was up and halfway to the door before Makoto even finished her sentence. "Minako, wait, we aren't her-"

"-keepers," the brunette finished to the almost empty room. Luna and Artemis turned their feline gazes to Makoto.

"But you are," Artemis said, almost sadly. "Don't forget that you are."

* * *

"I'm so glad rainy season is finally over, like, it's not that I don't like the rain. I mean, I don't love it... especially not thunderstorms. Something about the noise and suddenness. I guess it's okay if I'm home but if I'm caught in it..." Usagi shivered a little, and stirred a spoon in her melted ice cream. "But anyway. I'm glad rainy season is finally over and I can finally go outside! I love walking in the park and playing frisbee and, like, eating all the food from the vendors? Oh my gosh, picnics are probably the funnest things ever. What do you think?"

Jun took a sip of his coffee and considered for a second. "I like vendor food as well," he said. "And I also am glad rainy season is over. I like being able to do laundry."

"Oh!" Usagi paused and flushed a little. "Yeah, I didn't think about that. I still live at home so I'm lucky my mom still does all that." She spread her hands out on the table, and laughed nervously.

Suddenly she straightened and blinked at something over Jun's shoulder. "Ami-chan?"

"Hi, Usagi-chan!" a new voice at his side made Jun start and look over. He immediately almost wished he hadn't.

"It's been a long since I've seen you!" Usagi gushed, clapping her hands together. "Medical school is keeping you so busy, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," the girl - Ami - answered, with a mirroring smile at her friend. "Actually, I'm happy I ran into you here, are you free? The girls and I would like to talk to you." Jun noticed the girl's voice was sweet and lilting, but her smile tight as her eyes shifted to Jun.

"Uh, sure. Anything for you, Ami-chan!"

The girl, Ami, reached out her hand and Usagi took it with an apologetic glance at Jun. "Uh, I guess my friends need me?"

Jun made a sho-ing motion with his hands, and nodded. "I'll see you around, Usagi-san."

She bowed quickly and Jun noted that Ami kept her hand gently on Usagi's arm as they walked out of the cafe.

Jun turned in his seat and followed her with his eyes and suddenly met the cold gaze of another woman standing at the door waiting. She lifted her chin and met his eyes defiantly.

Jun had no doubt she suspected who he might be - if not specifically, at least a general idea - and that she didn't like him speaking two words with Usagi, let alone taking her out for coffee.

He returned her gaze blandly as he could.

Sipping his coffee, he watched the three girls as they walked down the street. Short, brunette and training in medicine, Ami - she had a power radiating from her, Jun knew she had to be a senshi, although which one he couldn't be sure.

But the other girl? Long blonde hair, confident gaze, and her arm securely around Usagi - around the princess - as they walked away together down the street. Of her he was certain: Venus. Sailor Venus. The leader of the senshi, alive and well and as protective as ever.

And babbling, bubbly little Usagi - Jun took a sip of his coffee and regarded the empty seat across from him. Most certainly the reincarnated Princess Serenity of the moon. And, he was equally certain, she had no idea.

Well, he sure had a lot to talk to Kosuke about tonight. He wondered how he would take it.

* * *

"Okay, so say you are going out for coffee, what do you order?" Jun was asking, from Mamoru's sofa.

"I don't know, coffee I guess," Nate said from the nearby chair, not looking up from the magazine he was flipping through.

"Right! Exactly! And if you don't like coffee, you get tea or a milkshake or something right?" Jun said.

"Okay, sure," Zachery rolled his hands in a 'get on with it' motion.

"Well, this chick orders a hamburger, a side of fries, a soda, and then to top it off she gets an ice-cream parfait for dessert!" Jun threw his arms up in the air, "Like, I don't even have a job yet! And of course I'm stuck withthe bill since I'm the guy. Kosuke, stop fucking laughing right now because I'm making you pay me back for everything!"

Kosuke raised his eyebrows, "Pay you back? Why?"

"This whole thing was your idea!"

"I told you to_ talk_ to her, not _date_ her!"

Nate chortled into his bag of chips, "Yeah, honestly, who here thought taking Princess Serenity on a _date_ was a good idea raise their hands? Jun, you asshole."

"It wasn't a DATE you FUCKERS! You think she was going to just tell me all about her magic crystal and senshi guardian friends over the jewelry counter with her boss looking over her shoulder and customers coming in and out? I wanted to take her somewhere to talk and get a read on her. GUH! You are all idiots and I hate you and you suck and the end." Jun crossed his arms and snarled at the carpeted floor while everyone else around him laughed.

"Relax, Jun, I think it was smart. I do. Sorry, she ate you out of house and home," Zachery reached over and patted Jun's shoulder reassuringly.

"Anyway," Jun added, "she's definitely the princess. No one else would have that sort of... energy signature."

"Plus, remember that time Serenity discovered our orchards and ate all those peaches?" Nate said. Everyone looked at him incredulously.

"Just sayin', girl had an appetite back then, too."

"Well, I didn't have to _pay_ for that," Jun muttered under his breath.

"I can't believe you are still whining about-"

"ANYWAY," Zachery said, "since Mamoru is due home any minute, can you tell us anything else besides the fact that your wallet still hurts and you don't think you and Usagi will be having any second dates any time soon?"

Jun rolled his eyes and started ticking off on his fingers, "She's the princess. She doesn't know it. It's hard to know for sure without delving deeper, but it's like she's all surface you know? Just a regular, vapid community college student who works at her friend's jewelry store. Either something's purposely blocking her memories or-"

"- or she didn't open her deepest, darkest past-life memories to some jerk who takes her out to coffee one time," Nate suggested.

Jun shrugged. "Maybe. She could be really good at burying stuff down inside her and _acting_ silly and shallow." His tone of voice made it sound like he doubted it very much, but Kosuke seemed to mull over those words.

"Well, in any case, if we want to use her, it sounds like we need to really work with her." Kosuke said, thoughtfully.

"I don't know if we'll be able to get close to her," Jun said. "I was only with her for an hour before the cavalry showed up."

"The who?" Nate asked.

"Two women. Obviously senshi. Pulled her right out of there, and gave me the death stare. Guys, I wouldn't be surprised if the senshi know we are here and aren't happy about it."

They exchanged glances. "But I don't understand," Zachery said, "How could the senshi have awakened, but not the princess?"

"Yeah, I mean, Mamoru knows all about his past as Endymion -" Nate started but then stopped. "Well, not _all._"

"And he mostly remembered on his own. It's not like we all sat down and talked it out, detail for detail," Jun said.

"And it's not like we aren't having this conversation behind his back, right now." Zachery added, guiltily.

It was then they felt the energy pulse, the darkening sky. They glanced at each other and realized all at the same time. This wasn't an ordinary storm.

* * *

This was an ugly one, a large and evil hissing thing with a feminine figure and souless red eyes. It danced between the lightning and gathering clouds sending streaks of red energy at hapless victims. It wasn't here to collect energy, it wasn't part of any grand Dark Kingdom scheme.

It was sent by Queen Beryl to draw them out. The senshi. The shitennou. She wanted to see them, to know they were here.

Knowing all this, Sailor Venus stood on the roof top, her hair blowing in the storm-force wind. Narrowing her eyes, she regarded the youma and turned to face her green-clad friend. "Let's try to finish this before the rain starts," she shouted over the wind, "it's always harder to aim when it's pouring!"

Sailor Jupiter nodded, pressing a fist to her forehead to show she understood. "Let's kick some ass!"

"HEY UGLY!" Sailor Venus jumped atop a water tower and pointed a finger at the youma. "Over here! I won't forgive you terrorizing innocent people who should be heading home during a storm! I'm the solider of Love and Beauty, Sailor _Venus_!" It was the first time she'd used her new introduction and she felt something like a stirring inside her, a pride, a memory and a responsibility fell around her like a cloak.

"And I'm Sailor Jupiter! Together, we'll punish you!" Jupiter jumped down beside Venus and glared up at the youma. In the charged air, she felt energized, elated, ready. "Bring it on," she murmured.

And, as it always does, all hell broke loose.

The youma let loose charges of energy and Venus managed to roll and dodge. "Crescent Beam!" she shouted, and a line of gold burst on the youma's chest.

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter shouted, and her tiara sparkled with lightening that hit the youma square in the head. The thing hissed and screamed, twisted in pain.

Venus turned and threw one more attack at the youma, but it managed to dodge and turned it's one working, red eye on the orange-clad senshi.

And charged.

Suddenly a blue beam of light knocked the monster off-course and it fell to the side. "NOW KUNZITE!" Nephrite called from behind the two senshi.

As Venus looked up in shock, a sword came down over the youma's body and sliced an arm right off. Kunzite stood, in full Silver Millennium regalia, the sword steady in his gloved hand.

Screaming, the youma turned on him, gnashing its teeth and aiming for his head -

"CRESCENT BEAM!" And the youma was blasted in a shower of golden sparks.

Venus scrambled to her feet and Jupiter ran to her side. They both stood warily, as Kunzite turned and faced them. It was an intake of breath, a slight widening of eyes, a groping for Jupiter's hand, and then it all faded to nothing but a blank face and burning eyes. Always the strongest in the midst of the hurricane. He remembered that about her.

His hand tightened on the sword. "It seems I need to thank you," he said.

Venus didn't answer, but her gaze didn't waver.

"You could have easily let that youma kill me," he continued. His voice barely caught over the howling wind.

Suddenly, Jadeite, Zoicite and Nephrite were running to the scene.

"It's not in _our_ practice to let people die," Jupiter answered. She emphasized her words while narrowing her eyes, her free hand in a fist. The other hand gripped Venus' in until her fingers were numb.

"The enemy of my enemy -" Zoicite started but Venus cut him off with a shake of her head.

"We have no quarrel with you. Fight the Dark Kingdom if you want to. Just try to stay out of our way."

The senshi exchanged glances, dropped hands, and turned to walk away as thunder rolled across the sky.

"Venus!" Kunzite called.

At the sound of her title, Venus' shoulders visibly arched, her head raised and she turned, blue flame in her eyes.

"We can't win this fight without more help!"

"You seek our help?" Jupiter asked, crossing her arms.

"You know what we need," he said. The others held their breath. "We need the ginzo-"

"There is no such thing," Jupiter interrupted before he could even speak the words.

"The princess-" Nephrite started and Venus rounded on him.

"There is no princess!" She said, throwing her arms wide. The rain began to fall, first gently dotting the cement of the roof with dark circles, then violently, driving wind and rain. "Princess Serenity died! Thousands of years ago! And the crystal with her!"

The men were silent, watching the rain fall down Venus's face, plastering her hair to her forehead. "She died with her mother. And she's never coming back."

She turned on her heel and walked away, not looking back.

Jupiter stayed for a moment. "Fight the Dark Kingdom if you like," she repeated. "But stay away from us." She paused and glanced at Nephrite for a moment before looking back at Kunzite. "It seems like I'm always saying that to one of you assholes."

* * *

"Oh, hi, Mamoru, when did you get home?" Nate tried for nonchalance as the four of them tumbled through his front door, dripping wet and gasping for breath.

Mamoru raised an eyebrow and removed his reading glasses with one hand. He was seated beside the living room coffee table, with his medical textbooks in front of him and notebook open scribbled with notes. "I got home about six, like always. I guess the real question is, where were you four idiots?"

"Oh you know, jogging in the rain is good for the health," Nate said, cheerfully.

Mamoru shook his head and went back to his book, "Right."

"Interesting that you've been home for a good hour and your hair is still wet," Kosuke pointed out as he walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

"Not that you'd know, but some of us shower," Mamoru said casually.

Kosuke didn't mention that Mamoru's shoes by the front door were still wet, or that his face was flush and his hands were shaking - for the same reason that Mamoru didn't press the four of them where they had really been. It was like this between them.

A shaky truce. Friendship and loyalty without full trust. Each with their own agenda.

Machiavellian.

"Nate, by the way, start cleaning up after yourself or find a new place to live," Mamoru said.

"Aw, man, you know what a hassle that is. I have to get a guarantor and all that. Ugh, this country, so difficult to do anything!" Nate said, helping himself to another one of Mamoru's beers.

"Well, Japan is agreeing with Jun at least. In town not a two weeks and I heard you already had a date," Mamoru said, flipping a page of his book and jotting a note down as he spoke.

Jun paused for a second, a beer bottle halfway to his lips. Then he shrugged, "Eh, it didn't go well, though. I'm not gonna see her again."

Mamoru shrugged, again not look up from his work. "Sorry to hear that."

"I can't believe you told Mamoru," Jun hissed at Kosuke as the two headed home later that night.

"I didn't," Kosuke said.

"Oh," Jun blinked. "Well, it must have been one of the other two then."

"Hmmm," Kosuke said, musingly. "Must've been."

* * *

"I swear takoyaki is the most delicious thing in the universe," Jun said. "I'm buying some right now. Anyone want?"

The other four men shook their heads, Nate making a face.

Jun shrugged and wondered off to the stand by himself. It was pleasant Saturday, and the park was alive with the shouts of children and giggles of teenagers and general city summer exuberance.

Nate had insisted they all come out with him to visit a few apartments he was looking at, and they were all taking a quick break in the shade of the park before walking a few more blocks to see the next seedy little hovel. Jun had no idea why Nate had insisted they_ all_ needed to come along on this venture, surely Mamoru or Kosuke alone was enough to make sure he wasn't cheated, but no it seemed like they all must suffer together.

"Jun, hi!" a sunny voice called out and he startled to see Usagi running up to him, wearing a bright sundress and brilliant smile. "Yey! Takoyaki! It's one of my favorites, too! Will you make your order two?"

Inwardly cringing, he turned toward the vendor and doubled his order. To his surprise, a thin hand shot out and Usagi produced a handful of money and dropped it in the seller's hand. "My treat!" she said, cheerily. "After all, I have to thank you for the other day."

Jun tried to hide his relief.

He was still trying to balance two cardboard plates of burning hot fried octopus pancake when he realized they had officially wandered directly into the line of sight of his group of friends, and that Usagi had frozen where she stood, all color and cheer drained from her face as she locked eyes with Mamoru.

"Y-you," she stuttered.

He smiled, a sort of half-smile that Jun had never seen before. "Hi, Usagi."

Jun was aware of Kosuke trying to catch his eye, but he ignored it, focusing instead on the girl who was watching this entire exchange from partly behind a nearby tree, with fire in her violet eyes.

* * *

AND THAT'S CHAPTER ONE.

Do you think I should continue?

I know this has been mostly OCish shitennou so far, but I warn that in my head most of the fic is very Usagi-heavy, and the senshi, too. Also a lot of Usa/Mamo stuff. Cuz it's me.

And of course the shitennou, too, but I think it's heavy at the beginning I'm trying to build.

Also Kunzite/Venus. Ya know.

And there will be hints of other senshi/shitennou but I don't know how deep I'll go because then it just becomes like. too much to try to fit FIVE romances in with an actual plot. But if it's really popular or something I could always do like drabbles in this 'verse. Down the line.


	3. Chapter 2

OH YES I forgot to say THANK YOU to kyralih because it's basically because of her this fic exists and I didn't give up six times already. Thank you for putting up with my obsessive late-night messages on tumblr, answering my questions, listening to my babbling and fixing ALL MY TYPOS. Because Mamoru knows English but I, apparently, do not.

Someone requested I give the shitennou/reborn names here so:

Zachery - Zoicite

Nate - Nephrite

Kosuke - Kunzite

Jun - Jadeite

Everyone here is much more manga-based than anime-based, but sometimes the anime sneaks in. And it being '97 when the original season 1 took place in '92, the girls are 18/19 now. The boys are between 21 and 25, since they were all reborn at different times.

* * *

_"Y-you," she stuttered._

_Mamoru smiled, a sort of half-smile that Jun had never seen before. "Hi, Usagi."_

Nate frowned, glancing at Kosuke, who seemed surprised - which for Kosuke was saying a lot. Nate turned back to the petite blonde, diminutive even beside Jun's shorter frame. Usagi? This was the girl Kosuke had found earlier, the one he was certain was the princess they'd been looking for?

"You're back," she said to Mamoru, her eyebrows knitting together and lips turning downward slightly. "How are you _back_?"

"How?" Mamoru repeated, sounding a little amused, "what do you mean ho-"

"They just - what? Let you come back to Japan? Just like_ that_?" Usagi shook her head, twin streams of hair whipping back and forth violently to finally settle over one shoulder in a haphazard fashion.

Mamoru's eyes were light as he looked at her. "Yeah. It's not like I was_ deported_, odango atama, I was studying abroad."

Usagi fumed a little, her hands fluttering into the folds of her skirt. "Well, they didn't check with me!"

His smile faded, just a little. "So, if it were up to you-"

"Permaban," she announced, crossing her arms and lifting her face up and away - eyes squeezed shut and nose in the air.

Nate just manged to hid a laugh in a throat-clear. Barely.

"In fact," she continued, "I'm calling immigration as soon as I get home because there has to be some mistake about letting you back without polling all the residents to see if it was okay."

"They did," Mamoru said. "Didn't you get yours?"

She opened one eye and in spite of herself a smile tugged at her mouth. "Never got it."

Mamoru lowered his head until he caught her eye and smiled at her, slowly. "No wonder they said everyone in Tokyo approved of my return. Because Tsukino Usagi's poll got lost in the mail."

Usagi looked at him warmly for a second, then her face suddenly hardened and she shook her head quickly and turned her eyes away from him, looking around the park. "Anyway, whatever. Welcome back, I guess."

Nate noticed Mamoru never once took his eyes off her. "Thanks."

Feeling oddly like he was intruding on something private, Nate spoke up to introduce himself and the others, since Mamoru obviously wasn't going to do it.

"Well, I guess they are letting anyone in the country these days. Me, for example, and Zachery," he pointed him out, "Even Jun, if you can believe it. Nice to meet you, I'm Nate."

"I'm Usagi," she smiled. "I'm sorry I'm really bad at English. I mean I'm taking classes at college but..."

"No worries, we're speaking Japanese aren't we?" Nate smiled. "And this is Kosuke."

She nodded. "I remember you, from the store. How's your girlfriend?"

Kosuke smiled. "I may not have been completely truthful with you, Miss Tsukino. I was merely looking for a gift for a woman I... admire. We aren't together."

Usagi said, "Perhaps expensive jewellery isn't a good gift to give to someone like that. It might be seen as overbearing."

Kosuke smiled at her, thoughtfully. "Do you think so?"

Usagi nodded, "I do."

"Thank you, Miss Tsukino, although you may have talked yourself out of a sale," Kosuke was still smiling politely, but Nate recognized the calculating look in his eyes as Kosuke considered the girl before him.

"So how do you two know each other?" Nate addressed his question to Mamoru, who, like Kosuke, was watching Usagi intensely. Mamoru seemed to be taking her in, every gesture, every smile, every blink and giggle as she talked with Zachery and Kosuke.

Mamoru smirked, still not looking away from Usagi. "She used to throw things at my head."

"No, really though," Nate said.

"Really." he said. "Test papers, shoes... I think once it was a plastic water bottle."

"_Empty_ plastic water bottle," Usagi said. She had taken a sudden interest in the conversation and seemed to be annoyed with where it was going. "And that was an accident."

"Of course."

"And did you tell him, how I know _you_?" She narrowed her eyes at him and the corners of her lips turned down ever-so-slightly. Usagi turned to Nate and tossed one long pigtail behind her shoulder defiantly. "He used to tease me! About my grades, my hair, my height, my eating habits..."

"But you are so cute when you are mad," he said in a low voice, abruptly interrupting her diatribe.

She froze again, like a deer in headlights - or a rabbit would be more apropos given her name, Nate thought. For a second her lips tugged downwards again and then her whole demeanor changed and she glared up at Mamoru. "Always teasing me! Jeeze, I wish you had stayed in America," she said. "Honestly."

She seemed to wait for a retort, but he had none so she quickly spun on her heel and turned toward Jun.

"You're friends with him?" she said abruptly.

Jun, who'd been distracted the entire time, blinked and said, "Huh? Oh. Yeah. Good friends."

She nodded, shrugged slightly. "Well, that's a deal-breaker, sorry. Thanks for the food, though!" She sounded a little breathless and her smile looked forced all of a sudden.

Usagi turned to Kosuke, Nate and Zachery. "Nice to meet you. Hope you enjoy Japan." She carefully avoided glancing in Mamoru's direction.

With a wave behind her, she said her goodbyes and something about meeting friends, and walked off down the path, anxious to get away.

Nate glanced at Kosuke, but Kosuke was staring at Mamoru, whose face was completely blank as he watched Usagi walk away.

"OH!" Suddenly Usagi was running back to them full-speed, barely catching herself from falling on her face in front of Jun. "I almost forgot! My takoyaki!" She took her plate from him. "'Bye!"

This time she ran.

* * *

They didn't have time to regroup, or even glance at each other before another figure stomped up to them with all the fury of a firestorm.

"Look out," Jun said. "She's been watching this whole time." But he didn't have time to finish his sentence before Rei Hino was right in front of them.

"So it's true, the prodigal son has returned," Rei said, frowning. Her dark eyes surveyed the group, giving nothing away. "And not alone."

"It's been a long time," Mamoru said pleasantly, "Nice to see you, Rei."

"Likewise," she said, with dripping politeness, as her eyes glittered at him warningly.

"So, what are you doing back?" Rei asked. "All of a sudden, in the middle of the school year? Things not going well in America? You certainly made a lot of new friends."

"Wow, and I thought _you_ were blunt," Zachery whispered to Nate. Nate elbowed him.

Mamoru shrugged slightly. "I just missed Japan, I guess."

"Japan doesn't want you," Rei said firmly.

"Yet another person who thinks they can speak for the entire country," Kosuke cut in, a slight edge to his voice, "at least Usagi was cute about it."

"What'd you talk about with her anyway?" Rei said, her hands rising to curl at her waist, nails digging into the red lace of her shirt. Her eyes scanned the group, letting them know she expected an answer, from anyone.

"This and that," Zachery finally said, figuring he was the least likely to offend after Kosuke's outburst and Rei's obvious dislike of Mamoru. "She's very sweet. We meant no harm to your friend."

Rei shook her head. "Leave her alone." Her eyes darted to Mamoru's and held his gaze.

"You certainly seem concerned about your friend," Kosuke said. "She's an adult and is certainly free to chat with anyone she likes in a public park." His eyes narrowed as he regarded Rei. "Why are you so protective of her? Why is she so special?"

Rei took a deep, angry breath but before she could open her mouth to retort Mamoru spoke up.

"She's just looking out for her friend," he snapped, turning cold blue eyes to Kosuke, who blinked in surprise. Mamoru's tone returned to normal and he explained. "Rei has a bit of a temper, especially when it comes to Usagi- isn't that right?" He smiled at her and she glared in return. "She's right to worry about her friend running from a group of five strange men in the park, anyway. I'm the only one Rei knows and even then not very well."

Kosuke was frowning deeply and Mamoru didn't seem concerned. "Really, there's no reason to think Rei's reaction is strange if you know her."

Rei was looking at Mamoru suspiciously. "Just - stay away from Usagi," she said, nonplussed.

Mamoru lips twisted up in a sardonic smile, "I'll do my absolute best."

It was as if a string was raised high and taught between them, Nate thought. The tension was palatable. Someone needed to do something, but none of them dared approach the woman who stood so dangerous in front of their prince like she'd burn him alive if she had half the chance.

Then, suddenly, Jun walked up and tapped Rei on the shoulder.

She whirled and looked at him with unabashed, open-mouthed shock.

He held a paper plate out to her, and blinked innocently. "Takoyaki?"

* * *

That afternoon found the girls at Rei's shrine, knotted together in an anxious group.

"So, all four of them," Ami confirmed, her fingers drumming on the binding of her book.

"Back in black," Minako said dramatically. At the others' confused looks, she blinked and glanced at Artemis, "Was that not the expression?"

"Well, as it stands," Rei said, "it seems they've found Mamoru. Or maybe he found them."

"I don't care, honestly, about that heartwarming story," Makoto said, "more concerning is what they want with Usagi."

"Do you think they know?" Ami whispered, almost not daring to say it out loud.

Minako's face crumbled for a second, her hands curled into the fabric of her dress. "How could they possibly have _found_ her?"

"It's not like Usagi doesn't put out a very obvious psychic signature," Rei said. "_If_ you know what you are looking for."

"And they would," Ami added.

"So back to what I asked originally," Makoto said, "_why_ do they want Usagi?"

"You heard it yourself last night," Minako said, her face hard and angry. "They want the one who can wield the ginzuishou against the Dark Kingdom. They want Princess Serenity."

"No matter, Minako," Rei put her hand on Minako's arm, calming her. "They can't have her."

* * *

"I don't know," Jun said as he and Kosuke stepped onto the elevator in Mamoru's building. "I feel like Mamoru's already pissed at us, don't you?"

"Don't worry," Kosuke said, pulling at his shirt sleeve nonchalantly. "He'll get over it. He always does."

Jun made a face. "I think we should just come out with everything. It's not like we necessarily _want_ anything bad to happen to Seren- I mean, Usagi. Whatever the fuck we are calling her now."

"Just trust me," Kosuke said. "For now, it's best we let things happen naturally."

"Naturally my ass," Jun said. "Like I don't know that you are pulling all of our strings from your penthouse overlooking Tokyo bay. It's fucking creepy, man."

"Hey, am I letting you live with me rent-free in that penthouse overlooking Tokyo bay or aren't I?" Kosuke said, as the elevator opened and they walked out.

"If you keep holding that over my head, I'm moving out," Jun muttered.

"If only," Kosuke said, before knocking on Mamoru's door.

Nate answered. "Yo. He's studying. Like always when he wants to avoid my constant harassment."

"And what have you been harassing him about?" Kosuke said, stepping through the door and taking off his shoes as he eyed Mamoru, who was once again kneeling at the coffee table, books spread out in front of him.

"This and that," Nate said.

"It's been a living hell," Mamoru spoke up, "I'm kicking him out tomorrow. And by kicking him out, I don't mean: 'making him move'. I mean: 'kicking him out of the window. On to the street.'"

Nate sighed dramatically. "See what I put up with?" Then he grinned. "I've been teasing him about that girl, Usagi."

Kosuke gave Nate a dark look. "Have you now?"

"He li-ikes her," Nate said, opening a plastic bottle of green tea and offering one to Kosuke and Jun.

"So this is your insight into the matter?" Kosuke said, raising an eyebrow.

"That, and he wants to make out with her face and touch all on her hair and probably do other things too - buuuut that's usually about when he looks like he wants to punch me so I leave him alone for a while."

"Your self-preservation is matched only by your maturity, Nate," Mamoru called from his place at the coffee table.

"He hasn't denied any of it, though," Nate grinned around the tea bottle as he took another sip.

"Well, it's unsurprising," Kosuke said, taking the tea. "She's the princess after all."

Mamoru's eyes narrowed. "Tsukino Usagi is just a girl from my hometown, Kosuke," he said. "She's not who you think she is."

Kosuke smirked a little, and walked over to stand beside Mamoru, looking out the window. "Sure, sure, I can understand the hesitation to make the connection. After all, she's just a college student parasite single," Kosuke said, "Not even that smart or pretty - and she only got her job because she's friends with the owner's daughter."

He glanced at Mamoru, who hadn't looked up from his book. "Jun even said she's even a boring date. 'Vapid', was that the exact word you used, Jun?"

Jun started shaking his head and raising his hands, "Don't bring me into this-" but Kosuke interrupted him.

"I mean, hell, it was different when she was heir to a kingdom but _now_? Not even worth a second look in this lifetime."

Mamoru was silent, still staring at his book. His fingers were gripping the pencil like he might break it, but he did not respond to Kosuke's taunts.

"Not to mention, she doesn't seem to care much for you anyway," Kosuke mused, seemingly half to himself, as he peered out the window at the late afternoon shadows. "I mean, to put it lightly. Who would've thought we'd live to see Serenity_ dislike_ you?"

"Well, no matter about Serenity's shortcomings in this lifetime," Kosuke said finally, turning from the window. "It's Serenity's power that matters, really."

"Stay away from her," Mamoru said, suddenly, almost making Kosuke jump. Of all the words in his carefully planned speech, it was not this part he expected Mamoru to respond to.

Mamoru stood and faced Kosuke, his hands in fists. "Stop calling her 'Serenity', she's Usagi! She's Usagi and she's a person, not a vessel for a dead princess and the silver crystal you are obsessed with, just stop! Leave her alone and out of your plans! She isn't part of this!"

Kosuke responded smoothly, "How are you to stop us, with you two not even on speaking terms?"

Mamoru stared at Kosuke in fury for a few seconds while his jaw worked and then he threw the pencil down onto the table where it broke in half. "Don't think I don't know exactly what you are doing, you bastard," he said. Then he turned around and stormed out of the apartment.

Kosuke stared at the slammed door with an almost satisfied expression. "Welcome back, Endymion," he murmured.

"You _are_ kind of a bastard," Nate said.

"Maybe," Kosuke said, softly. "But in the end we have to put it right. And if someone's soul must be tarnished in doing so, it may as well be ours."

"Dirty as they are already," Jun said, sadly.

* * *

Usagi was just stifling a yawn with her hand when the chime of the Osa-P jewellery store door announced a customer and she hurried to bow and call out a welcome. But when she looked up she blinked in surprise, as Mamoru strode through the doors and walked right up to her. He paused for a moment, seemingly taken aback by her appearance in the charcoal suit jacket and soft white sweater.

"You look - grown up," he finally said.

"Hello, honored customer," Usagi said, with a rather impressive grasp of formal speech, Mamoru thought. "Please look around and let me know if you need anything." She smiled without meeting his eyes.

"Usagi," he said, resting his fingers lightly on the glass case between them, "I came to say I'm sorry. Yesterday you seemed so upset to see me. And it occurred to me that I should apologize for teasing you so much back then, it obviously upset you a lot and, well. We are both older now and perhaps we should start over, try to be friends again."

Usagi had to stop herself from outwardly rolling her eyes at what was clearly a practiced speech that so _drastically_ missed the mark it was almost as if he was deliberately being obtuse. But then she looked at him, the way his lips lifted in that small smile and the way his hair still fell into his dark blue eyes, which looked at her almost ... hopefully. The tightness in Usagi's chest and burning behind her eyes was so familiar it hurt.

"You think I'm upset because of a silly _nickname_?" Usagi said, keeping her voice down but still somehow speaking with full intensity. Mamoru felt his breath catch when he noticed her eyes were unusually bright, as if with unshed tears.

"Then wh-"

"You left, Mamoru!" she said, her voice was shaking but she was still whispering - although as far as Mamoru could tell they were the only ones in the store. For a second Mamoru wondered if she'd trip some sort of silent alarm, just to get him to leave her alone - she was so agitated.

"You just disappeared on me barely even saying _goodbye _and then," she paused to swipe at her eyes in annoyance, "you didn't come back after a year. Or a year and a half, or even two years. Everyone said you'd decided to live there and that's fine, that's your choice but - you had no idea how much I missed you."

"Usagi," he reached out, then froze, and curled his fingers back into a fist, lowered his hand to his side. "I'm so sorry."

"You couldn't know," she said, not looking at him. "How could you know? How I felt about you. You had beautiful women falling all over you." She smirked to herself. "But you never even noticed _them_, and I was just some stupid kid."

Usagi realized she hadn't heard Mamoru breathe in a while and it hit her all at once what she basically admitted to him.

She blinked rapidly, and curled her hands away from his. "I request the customer to please consider a purchase, or find the door in that direction please," she said, speaking again in a normal volume, through shaky lips.

"Usagi-" his voice was strangled.

She shook her head.

"Fine," Mamoru pulled out his wallet and placed a ten thousand yen bill on the glass. "Pick something, anything, ring it up and wrap it. Just talk to me. Please, Usagi."

She blinked at the money without really seeing it.

"We - have watches," she said, automatically, walking slowly toward the back corner of the store. He followed. She paused for a moment looking at the display with a finger to her chin. "Hmmm, I think this one suits you," she reached in and pulled out a smallish silver men's wristwatch and held it up for him to see. "What do you think?" For a second she seemed more cheerful, as she held the box out against his shirt, her head tilted to the side as she considered.

He smiled, "I like it."

"You don't really have to buy something you know," Usagi said, lowering the box again sheepishly.

"I want to," Mamoru said.

Usagi was still flush and a little shy as she nodded and walked swiftly to the register, ringing up the purchase and counting Mamoru's scant change from the expensive purchase. He just watched her: brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, lips moving slightly as she counted out change and documented the purchase in the record book, fingers deftly working the keys on the register. She bit her lip slightly when she set the watch to the correct time, matching it to the pearl white one on her own wrist.

"Wait," Mamoru said, suddenly. "Don't wrap it. I want to wear it out."

Flustered, Usagi looked up like she realized he'd been watching her, and her cheeks colored slightly. "Um, okay." Her brows knitted as she fumbled with the plastic ring holding the watch in place. Finally it fell out into her palm. Then she took a deep breath and looked up.

"Okay," she held it out, "give me your hand." Usagi couldn't help breaking into a smile as he offered his wrist with a boyish half-grin.

Usagi felt her heart twist at how handsome Mamoru still was, after two years. She was supposed to hate him, have forgotten him, not have him come into her part-time job and apologize to her and ask to be friends.

But if they fell into their old ways, gentle teasing and what couldn't be flirting, then maybe it would be comfortable, maybe she could handle it.

She opened the clasp and wound the band around his wrist, resting the pads of her fingers against his pulse- just for a second. Usagi convinced herself she imagined the slight jump in his skin, the response to her touch.

Usagi hated that his skin was so warm. Her treacherous fingers took their time with the clasp of the watch, brushing against his wrist. Even such small contact was addicting and she didn't want to let him go. Under the guise of double checking that it was set to the correct time, she gently turned his hand toward her and pulled the watch face around.

Usagi slid her thumb down the back of his hand, and he suddenly twisted his hand to catch hers. He pushed his thumb into her palm and ran his fingers gently over her knuckles. She raised her eyes to his, realizing too late that her lips were parted and her face was flushed and she was sure - _sure_ - that she could be read like an open book.

Mamoru's eyes were dark, looking at her intensely. He tugged slightly on her hand and she felt the fingertips of his other hand brushing against the side of her face. "Usagi," he barely whispered. She felt his breath on her cheek and realized suddenly how close they had gotten to each other, even over the barrier of the glass counter.

Mamoru was still caressing the side of her face ever-so-slightly, looking at her with those dark, half-lidded eyes, and Usagi was struggling to remember how to speak because she had to say _something_. For starters, she was pretty sure this sort of behavior at work was frowned upon, if not outright forbidden right in the employee handbook. And there were _security cameras everywhere for heaven's sake._

The chime of the door was like a firework and Usagi shot back like a rocket, calling out "welcome customer!" and bowing, suddenly a good three feet from where she had been standing not moments before.

Two middle-aged women greeted her back, and fussed up to her, asking about prices and sales and Usagi was quick to answer them, pushing a wayward strand of blonde hair back behind her ear.

"Thank you for your purchase," she called to Mamoru, and smiled. He gave her a small, tentative smile back and nodded his head quickly. "I'll see you around," she added, before turning back to her current customers.

Mamoru exited the store and leaned back against the side of the building. He groaned, pushing his hair back from his face and hitting his head slightly against the wall. "Goddammit."

* * *

The moonlight filtered into Usagi's room late that night, as the young woman tossed and turned in her bed, her face locked in a grimace and hands in fists. Luna shifted from where she was curled at Usagi's feet and padded over to her charge's face, meowing loudly.

"NO!" Usagi screamed, blue eyes flying open and one hand pressed to her chest as she gasped for air.

Luna pushed her head into Usagi's shoulder comfortingly, as the girl pulled her legs into her chest and lowered her head to her knees, choking on the sobs that had started in her sleep.

Fumbling for her cell phone, Usagi squinted at the crystal display that read: 12:01 and bit her lip. Wiping tears and some errant strands of blonde hair from her flushed face she frantically dialed and pressed the phone to her ear.

* * *

In a street-level apartment across the neighborhood, an ornate princess phone rang and a manicured hand snaked out from under piles of pink blankets and throw pillows to answer.

"Yeah?"

"Usagi?" Minako said up, pushing her blankets and a disgruntled Artemis to the floor, "I'm fine, I'm fine! Are you okay? What happened? Are you crying?"

"Calm down, Usagi -"

Minako sighed and shut her eyes, pulled the phone down and held it her chest for a moment then lifted it back to her ear. "I'm alive, Usagi. I'm fine, sweetheart. Usagi, darling, I'm perfectly fine."

Artemis jumped up and looked at Minako with sad eyes. 'Again?' he mouthed to her.

'Again,' she mouthed back. "It's okay, Usagi. Go back to sleep."

"I'm alive. It was only a dream."

"Everything will be just fine."

_I promise._

* * *

A few days later, the Crown Fruits Parlor was fairly empty, just a few couples and students studying over their coffees or sodas, so Mamoru was surprised when someone took the seat right next to him at the counter and pushed his arm a little bit. That is, until he turned and saw a familiar odango hairstyle and bright blue eyes.

"Hey, I hear you speak English now," Usagi said, not bothering with greetings. She had obviously just come from classes, she was carrying a book bag and was dressed causally.

"That's the rumor, is it?"

"So speak some English. I want to hear it." She leaned her cheek on her hand and looked up at him expectantly.

"What do you want me to say?" Mamoru said. "You have to give me something to _say_."

Usagi wrinkled her nose. "Um... tell me about America. What was it like, what you did there, I don't know, Mamoru, I wouldn't be able to understand you _anyway_." Usagi pulled her knees up on the stool and raised her eyebrows at him.

Mamoru brushed his fingers through her bangs, and she blinked, slowly, savoring the feeling of his touch.

He spoke then, one sentence, and just as she predicted the words were familiar from class but arranged in a way she couldn't follow. She understood it started with "I" and maybe ended with "everyday" but everything else too quick, too garbled, too foreign for her to grasp.

Usagi frowned, trying to commit the words to memory to look up later.

"I didn't understand," she said.

He smiled. "I know. Study more, odango atama." Mamoru pressed his finger to her nose. She went cross-eyed noticing he was wearing the watch he'd bought from her at Osa-P.

Just then Usagi felt a hand on her arm and she turned to stare in Makoto's moss green eyes. "Hi, Usagi," Makoto said. "Can I go somewhere to talk to you?" The taller girl stood in front of Usagi's stool, pulling the blonde with her hands. "Now?" She sounded irritated, agitated, her cheeks were red and her eyes bright.

"Yes, sure, Mako-chan," Usagi jumped down and looked at her friend in concern, "what's wrong? Are you upset?"

"Angry," Makoto answered, glaring at Mamoru meaningfully.

And then there was the sound of breaking glass and panic.

The youma charged the crowd, people cried out and fainted as it ate their fear, and then it turned toward the three people at the counter, eyes red and burning and hungry and evil.

Usagi forgot how to even scream.

Suddenly, she was pressed against Mamoru's chest and he shouted at Makoto, "You go! I've got her! Just go!"

Makoto apparently didn't feel there was time to argue, and Usagi watched in terror as her friend disappeared into the smoke.

"MAKO-CHAN!"

And suddenly Usagi was pressed against the wall, with Mamoru's arms on either side of her and only his eyes, bright and clear and constant and telling her silently to stay calm: that everything was going to be okay.

Suddenly the smoke cleared and Usagi gasped, and Mamoru turned to see Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus fighting the monster, announcing themselves and their attacks.

It all happened in slow motion to Usagi's eyes. Sailor Venus turning slowly, her beautiful blonde hair flowing out behind her, her almost-sad blue eyes meeting Usagi's for an instant - and then the youma hit her full-on with a blue beam and sent her falling to the ground.

And Usagi screamed.

"V-CHAN!"

And screamed.

"V-CHAN! NO!"

And Mamoru's hand was pressed against her forehead, and his other arm around her waist, desperately holding her back.

Her forehead burned hotter and hotter under Mamoru's hand but he held it there still, not even cringing even though Usagi was sure she had to be burning him.

She felt something well-up inside her, boiling and churning and bursting and glowing and as Jupiter fought the youma to no avail.

"Usagi," Mamoru whispered in her ear, "Try to control it. Try to wield it. Don't let it overtake you."

Usagi raised her hand and opened her lips and murmured a phrase she had never heard before, "Moon... prism... power-"

A beam of light arched from her hand the youma vaporized in an instant.

"V-chan..." Usagi murmured, her eyes fluttering closed as she fell into Mamoru's arms.

_I had that dream again. That dream where you died. Minako..._

Jupiter and Venus came running up to Mamoru, who removed his hand from Usagi's forehead to reveal a crescent moon symbol, pulsing and shining bright - then fading back away as she remained unconscious in his arms - a normal college student once more.

* * *

**author's notes:** So I thought I'd give a little background about everyone's lives in this 'verse, although some may or may not come up in this story.

Skip if you don't care, read if you want in on this headcanon (well, I guess this is a fic so it's ALL headcanon ha ha):

Zachery and Nate got jobs teaching English just to pay the bills and stay in the country legally (I feel like Zachery speaks something like 5 languages including Russian, French and Japanese). Mamoru transferred back to a medical school in Japan but he's only 22 and not interning yet, Kosuke is very rich thanks to being reborn into one of Tokyo's more influential families - although his parents are never in the country. The oldest of the group at 25, he works on his doctorate in history at Tokyo University- when he feels like it. Jun is still freeloading off Kosuke.

I made a mention of Ami being in medical school which was actually a slip-up - at 18 she should still be in undergrad - but then again, it's AMI. She's probably going to university, double majoring in bio-chem and linguistics and also taking classes at a local medical school and then fighting evil by moonlight. Minako and Usagi are taking classes at the local community college. Makoto is working a few part-time jobs and thinking of saving up for culinary school, and Rei is going to the college attached to T.A Academy (in this 'verse there is one, if there wasn't in the anime/manga. heh.)


	4. Chapter 3

_Usagi was crying. Her legs curled up and tangled in the airy fabric of a long dress, as she lay on her side in a bed. Her head was cradled in her arms on a pillow now soggy with her tears. Usagi couldn't remember exactly why she was crying, or what caused the ache in her heart, only that she thought she had never, ever felt an emotion more painful in her life._

_A door opened, a footfall behind her alerted her to another presence in the room. "Serenity," someone said - it was a familiar voice and one that sent a trill of anger through her chest._

_"Go away," she choked out. "I don't want to see you!" The pillow muffled her voice but not the passion behind her venomous words. Undeterred, a soft hand brushed damp strands of hair from her flush face._

_"Oh, Princess," the voice said tenderly - Usagi recognized it as Minako but her memory supplied the name Venus - V-chan. "One day you'll learn that there are worse things than heartbreak."_

* * *

_What?_ Usagi wanted to ask Minako to repeat herself, to explain why she was calling Usagi by the wrong name, and why Usagi was crying in the first place. But even her eyelids felt like lead, moving her lips was out of the question.

Usagi was aware of a hand holding hers, and knew it was Minako's. She tried to squeeze it, but her fingers remained limp despite her best efforts.

Slowly, the ringing in her ears dulled and became voices.

Makoto's, she heard, and a deeper, male voice. Mamoru's. They were talking in hushed voices, and sounded so very far away.

"You said you'd stay away from her."

"I told Rei I'd do my best," Usagi thought she heard Mamoru say.

"This is your best? Coming into her work, hanging out at her favorite places? You know what your best was Mamoru? Being an ocean and a continent away." Makoto's voice was rising, Usagi caught it easily in the quiet room. She wondered for a moment where she was, wished she could open her eyes - tell Makoto she didn't want Mamoru to leave again, she wanted him to stay here in Juuban and to never go back to that place she couldn't pronounce or find on a map.

Usagi struggled to move and lost their voices again to the roaring in her ears as unconsciousness overtook her once more.

More voices echoed in and out of her mind - blurring together in snatches of conversations and whirls of words that didn't make sense.

_"Mamoru was smart to hide Usagi's insignia during the battle, but the Dark Kingdom will still have noticed that power she used. If they manage to put two and two together-"_

_"__I propose that all the senshi join the fight, the more of us the better at this point."_

_"The princess-"_

_"That power- never seen -"_

_"Could it be, the ginzuishou?"_

She awoke fully to cool, steady fingers on her wrist. "Her pulse is still strong, her breathing regular. I'll check her reflexes and pupils when she wakes up but I'd say she's fine. Just exhausted." Ami. Usagi smiled.

"Usagi?" a voice said, and Usagi opened her eyes to Rei's concerned face. Minako and Makoto were seated beside her, too.

"Hi," Usagi said, her throat felt like it was on fire. Ami pressed a glass of water into her hands and Usagi drank gratefully. Her friends were all over her, hugging her, pressing their hands to her arms, her shoulders, running their hands down her pigtails, exclaiming over how happy they were she was okay.

"What happened?" Usagi asked, and silence descended like a curtain. The girls exchanged worried glances and finally Rei spoke.

"This isn't the time or the place, Usagi."

Usagi realized they were in the backroom of Crown. She hadn't been in there much, but enough to recognize it, as the Furuhatas were friends. She had been passed out on the small sofa Unazuki kept in back.

Oh no! Unazuki! "Is everyone okay? Unazuki? The customers?" She struggled to stand up against four pairs of arms.

"Everyone is fine," Minako answered. "The cafe, too. A broken window, some busted tables, nothing insurance won't fix. You've been out for about half an hour. We were getting worried!"

"What about you?" Usagi turned to her friend, put a hand on Minako's cheek. "I saw you fall."

"I'm okay."

"What about Mamoru?" Usagi asked, looking up at Makoto.

The taller girl shrugged. "He's fine. He took off pretty soon after the attack. Had somewhere more important to be, I guess."

"You know how guys like that are, Usagi," Minako said. "He didn't have time to stick around waiting for you to wake up."

Usagi looked at her water. "Right."

"It's probably best if you don't hang out with him as much," Rei said, bluntly.

"That's not-" Usagi started but Rei cut her off with a shake of her head.

"I mean it. You think you know him, Usagi, but you don't. Not really. Mamoru is not... a good person. Not for you."

Usagi's eyebrows knitted. "When everything happened, he knew what was going on," she said. "He knew I could do what I di-"

"Usagi," Rei snapped. "Not now."

"Then when? When can I get some answers? What is -"

"Tomorrow," Minako said. "Come to Rei's shrine at three. We'll talk then."

"Until then, remember that we love you." Makoto wrapped her arm around Usagi's slim shoulders and hugged her slightly to her. "We love you and we will keep you safe."

"We will always keep you safe."

* * *

The next day Usagi headed to Rei's with a mix of trepidation and determination. She knew she needed answers, but couldn't help being frightened of what she might find out.

Ever since she was a little girl, every so often she'd be plagued by nightmares, shadowy creatures with soulless eyes ever reaching out for her in her dreams. Instead of fading like most childhood fears, her dreams lingered, grew more vivid, more tangible - And the day before she had seen it happen, her nightmare taken solid form.

Usagi suppressed an involuntary shudder and curled her arms around herself, hugging the work jacket she had previously shrugged off in the July heat.

"Ah, hello Miss Usagi!" a friendly, unfamiliar voice called out and Usagi turned to see Zachery walking toward her, shopping bags in hand. "I thought that was you. How are you today?"

Usagi smiled, dropping her arms and letting her jacket dangle from her hand. She suddenly realized that if Mamoru was mixed up in this whole business, Zachery was too. All of them. She found herself taking a wary step backwards even as she made small talk with Zachery. Why _had_ Jun taken such a fleeting interest in her and her life? And why did it seem to bother her friends so much?

"So, I've been living at hotel but soon Nate and I will move into an apartment. Right now he's sleeping on Mamoru's couch." Zachery raised his bags slightly by way of explanation. "Just doing some decorative shopping right now. Linens and such. Mamoru is supposed to meet me soon, and we'll drive together to a furniture store. Ah, here he is now."

Usagi couldn't help turning, couldn't stop the eagerness in which her eyes sought Mamoru in the crowd. It'd only been a day but the attack in Crown was still so fresh in her mind: his arms pulling her to safety, his voice in her ear. It seemed like a year ago and a second ago all at once.

Mamoru nodded a greeting to them, and Zachery attempted a wave as best he could with all the bags he was holding.

Usagi wanted to run to Mamoru and throw her arms around him and pour everything out at once: her questions and her anxieties and her nightmares. She suddenly needed to feel him solid and real and comforting underneath her hands. The impulse was so great that she actually had to check herself, her legs twitched with the effort of standing still as he walked toward them, her fingers clutched helplessly at the fabric of her jacket.

Mamoru greeted Zachery and gave him the keys.

"I'm parked around the corner," Mamoru said, and Zachery made a quick excuse about dropping the bags off the car and was gone just as quickly.

"Hi," Usagi said.

Mamoru glanced at her. "On your way to work?"

"From."

"Ah," he had his hands in his pockets, and was looking away from her. Usagi suddenly felt a little lost, staring at a button on his shirt, to anchor herself.

"I'm actually on my way to Rei's," she babbled. He didn't respond. "After what happened yesterday, they are - They might finally explain some things to me." She watched him carefully but he didn't change his expression, still didn't look at her.

"I was hoping you might also have something to explain to me," Usagi said, softly. "Maybe not here but-"

"I'm really not the person to come to about this, Usagi," Mamoru said finally. He faced her, but his expression was closed, his eyes still focused on anything but her face. "The girls are a much better resource."

"But you-"

"I have to go," he said quickly. "Zachery is waiting."

"Maybe later?" Usagi knew she sounded pathetic, and she hated herself for how her voice wavered. Mamoru turned away from her again, and he shook his head a little bit, muttered something she didn't catch.

"Maybe. I have to go now, though. 'Bye, Usagi." Mamoru walked away without a backwards glance and Usagi felt her face crumble even as she berated herself for it.

On her way to the shrine she couldn't helping thinking that the ache in chest felt familiar somehow.

* * *

Usagi arrived at the shrine, hesitantly approaching her friends for the first time ever. Usually she bounded into the shrine with exuberance, asking if Makoto baked anything good, if Rei had any manga to borrow. But today she looked apprehensive, if determined.

Her eyes landed on Luna and Artemis with a moment's confusion. Then she looked right at the girls. "Tell me," she said. _Tell me who you are, what you are fighting, why you surround me with such protective, obsessive love. Tell me why in my dreams you call me 'princess'. Tell me how long ago it was you all died. And continue to die. Again and again and again in my darkest dreams._

Minako took a deep breath. "There is such a thing in this world as the Dark Kingdom-" and she gave a quick run-down of their enemy, the battles in Tokyo, and the life of a senshi. She finished with, "and we are soldiers that fight against them."

"We are strong, Usagi. There is no need to worry about us," Makoto added.

"And smart," Ami threw in. "We know our way around a battle."

Usagi was silent. Luna and Artemis looked her with too-intelligent golden eyes. She reached one hand out to Luna's forehead, rubbed a thumb gentle over Luna's crescent moon.

"What about me?" she said softly.

"We believe," Rei said, at Minako's nod, "you may be someone they want to - harm. Or have."

"Either way," Minako said firmly. "They won't."

"The plan so far was been to keep you hidden, and we'd like to continue with that plan," Ami added. "Avoid doing what you did at the Crown. That was like waving a sign over your head saying 'here I am, come get me.'"

Usagi didn't look up from Luna, from the sign on her forehead. "Why me?" her voice was quiet, the girls barely heard her.

"We believe they think you are someone - important," Minako said.

"Am I?" Usagi looked up at Minako and the other girl had tears in her eyes.

"Very," Minako whispered and took her friend's hand.

It wasn't what Usagi meant but when she found herself engulfed in her friend's arms she found she couldn't find her voice to ask anymore questions that night.

She had a feeling they wouldn't be answered anyway.

And Luna's eyes were still on her, the entire way home.

* * *

That Friday, Usagi was lounging on her bed enjoying her first day off in a long time, when she heard a flurry of activity from downstairs.

"Usagi, there is someone here to see you," her mother called up the stairs, a strange pitch to her voice.

As Usagi walked to the front door, she passed Shingo, who was looking at her with a very perplexed expression. "Usagi, what'd you _do_? Are you in serious trouble?"

"Shingo, they don't send limos for people in trouble," Ikuko said, looking at her daughter. "But Usagi, what is this about?"

Usagi froze, as a uniformed chauffeur stood at the door, an umbrella held out for her in his white gloved hand against the light drizzle that was falling. "I've been requested to pick up the esteemed Miss Tsukino Usagi for afternoon tea."

Usagi peered behind the man to the stretch limousine taking up the length of her family's small driveway. She was having trouble closing her mouth.

Shingo whispered to his sister, "You involved in the yakuza or something, baka-Usagi?"

Ikuko shushed her son.

"Tea with who?" Usagi asked. Shingo may have been joking, but he didn't seem far off. It all seemed like a very fancy kidnapping to her.

"Why, Mr. Takashi Kosuke of course!" the man said, looking surprised. "He said you'd be expecting me."

* * *

The elevator was private, the operator explained, the only one which opened to the top floor of the building - which Kosuke's family owned and where he lived. Usagi listened politely, pulling at her pink hoodie and feeling woefully underdressed.

She was greeted at the main door by a woman in gray, who led her through a short hallway into a wide open room with hardwood floors and a huge open window that looked out over the Sumida river as it met the bay. Usagi couldn't help gasping at the view - the rainbow bridge stretched out to Odaiba and the lights were just beginning to brighten on the edge of the city.

Kosuke stood from his place at a small table near the window and smiled. "Hello, Miss Tsukino. Thank you so much for joining me."

"Wow this is your place!" the words tumbled from her mouth, before she could stop them. " You are richer than Ami's mother! And Mamoru, too!"

"Matters like that are gauche to brag about," Kosuke said, "but yes, if it was a contest I suppose would win." His lips quirked a little.

"Why am I here, though?" Usagi asked.

The woman who answered the door came in and placed a resplendent tray of European style tea down on the table, complete with little cakes and cookies, gorgeous teacups and a pot of fragrant black tea. Usagi's mouth watered despite herself.

"Because you are special. I know what you did at Crown." Kosuke said. "And I wanted to talk with you about it."

Usagi curled her arms around herself, fumbling in her pocket to remind herself that her cell phone was still there.

"Please," Kosuke gestured to the seat across from him. "This is mostly for you. I take my tea black and am not really one for sweet things."

"My family knows I'm here," Usagi found herself saying, as the serving woman let herself out of the apartment, closing it behind her with a finality that made Usagi's heart pound.

Gracefully, Kosuke poured some milk into a teacup, and added some tea, "I should hope they do," he said, warmly. "Sugar?" At her nod, he smiled and added two sugar cubes. "I'd venture a guess at least one of your friends is also aware you are here, and none too happy about it." He poured himself a cup of black tea and took a sip.

"And Mamoru?" Usagi couldn't help asking, as she helped herself to two cookies and tentatively took a seat across from Kosuke. "Is he in on this?"

Kosuke smirked a little. "Not in the least. He'll be furious when he finds out. And he will, I have no doubt," Kosuke flicked an invisible speck of dust from the sleeve of his immaculate and expensive-looking dress shirt. "He's quite concerned with you."

"Because of... whatever I can do," Usagi said.

"Perhaps partially. But mostly because he's in love with you," Kosuke said. He took another sip of tea, watching doubt settle across Usagi's features.

"You're mistaken."

"No. I can say with certainty I'm not. His feelings for you are quite overwhelming for him, I believe, so you will have to excuse him if he doesn't always know how best to express them. I can say that most everything he's done for the past two years, perhaps longer, has been in some way to benefit you or your well being."

She made a derisive sound. "Even leaving."

"And returning. Yes."

Usagi broke a cookie in half and took a bite, her eyes focused on something outside the window.

"Returning. Coincidentally with four strangers who seem very interested in me and my friends and seem to be mixed up in-" She cut off and took a sip of her tea. Looked at Kosuke uncertainly.

He leaned his elbows on the table, pressed the tips of his fingers together gently. "Not very coincidentally."

"Everyone talks in riddles!"

Kosuke leaned back, considered Usagi carefully with his gray eyes. "You want someone to tell you what is going on, give you the details."

"Yes."

"I will do so, then."

"There are evil things, dark things, that lurk in the caves and poles of this planet, left over from a war that happened so long ago it has been forgotten. Before life as we know it existed. This Dark Kingdom has been reawakened, and is waging attacks in Tokyo. You saw yourself earlier what havoc its monsters can wreak - that was only a warning.

Hopefully you agree with me, with my comrades, that the ... unique... talent you possess can - and _should_ - be used in the fight against this evil. Your friends - the senshi - they are also fighting the Dark Kingdom with all their might. But they alone are not strong enough. Even with our help."

"Tell me," Usagi said. "Why am I so special? Why did my friends keep this from me? Who are you four? And Mamoru? You said he left Japan because of _me_?"

Agitated, Usagi stood suddenly, facing out the large window toward the city. She tried to catch a glimpse of sun through the breaking rainclouds. Tried to calm herself, tie herself to reality. Kosuke's voice was calm and soothing as he spoke.

"A long time ago," he began, watching her carefully, "there was a kingdom on the moon. A queen reigned there and had one beloved daughter. Princess Serenity. Does that name sound familiar?"

Usagi heard the name: "_Serenity_..." echoing through marble hallways, giggled girlishly in pillow tents, murmured softly in her ear. "No," she said.

He sighed, continued. "She had guardians. Sailor Senshi. The leader - the beautiful, deadly Sailor Venus. Sailor Mercury. Sailor Mars. Sailor Jupiter. Have you heard those names before?"

She shuddered. "At the Crown. Sailor Jupiter. Sailor Venus." _And in my dreams, in the fires and the smoke and the death of everything._

"But nothing else?"

She glanced at him. Silent. "And what do I have to do with this princess? With these senshi from so long ago?"

He quietly sipped his tea, watching her. "Did you ever wonder how such different girls would meet and become friends? Did you feel, when you all met each other, like you were drawn together? After just a few days, did it already feel as if there was a deeper bond than should be there after such short a time?"

"So what are you saying? That we are connected to these senshi? From, like, forever ago?" Usagi frowned. She picked up her tea just to have something to do with her hands.

"No," he said patiently. "I'm saying they _are_ those senshi from 'like forever ago'. Reborn to fight and protect their princess." He nodded his head toward her, only slightly.

At this Usagi gave him a disbelieving smirk, "So now you are trying to tell me I'm some princess? I can barely remember to use polite speech at work."

"Your powers and bloodline have little to do with your performance selling jewelery to salarymen's mistresses."

She cringed.

"I'm sorry, Miss Tsukino. It's just that your destiny and worth is so much greater than you believe it to be. You were gifted with enormous power."

"And is that why the girls are friends with me?" she mused, the tea cup rattled on its base, "because I have this power? Because I'm this important princess?"

Kosuke shifted in his seat and leaned forward to look at Usagi in the eye. "They protect you because you are precious to them, because they love you," he said this with intensity, "Don't forget that. It's less to do with bonds of loyalty and more with love."

Usagi was silent.

"Think of how deeply you love them. Soulmates come in many types. They are yours and you are theirs. Usagi, if you believe nothing else I've said today, believe this."

His hands were clasped together, and Usagi noticed he wore a small ring on his pinkie finger. His tie was dark blue, like his shirt. He was too put-together. Too perfect. Everything he said was too planned.

Something wasn't right.

"And you?" she challenged. "What do you want from me? You and the rest of those guys."

"We want you to awaken. To remember and use your power to help us defeat the Dark Kingdom."

Usagi shook her head. "There is something you aren't telling me. Something important!"

He was silent, regarding her. He didn't deny it.

The tea cup fell the floor, shattering on the glimmering hardwood floor. The milky liquid spread into the grain of the wood, neither Kosuke nor Usagi took any notice of it.

"No one will tell me the full story!" She cried out with a sob, "Why won't anyone tell me the truth? I'm warned away from Mamoru, told not to use my power, but nobody tells me _why._ What happened back at the Crown? What happened back in that past life? _Who am I_?"

"You are the Princess of the Moon," Kosuke said. "Princess Serenity."

"And why can't I remember?" she put her hands to her head and shut her eyes. "Why can everyone else _remember _and everyone else _knows_ and I can't!"

"That," Kosuke said, "I cannot answer." He finally leaned down and picked up two of the larger shards of china from the tea cup. "I wish I could," he said, sincerely.

She opened her eyes, tear-filled and luminous and looked at him pleadingly. For a moment, in the setting sun, he saw the resemblance to the ethereal moon princess she had been eons ago. "Do you remember how I died?" she whispered.

He was silent for a moment. "No." Then, "I assume it was during the war. Everyone died in the war."

_The war. It was with Earth. _Something twisted inside her chest.

"I have to go, I can't - I can't answer anything else right now," Usagi said.

Usagi was already at the door with her shoes on, when Kosuke walked up to her. "One last question, princess, before you leave."

"I'm sorry about the cup-" she started, her hand on the door.

"Please do not worry yourself, it is a nothing." Kosuke regarded her carefully, noting she was still fragile from her outburst earlier. "You said the name Serenity meant nothing to you?"

She paused and then shook her head, furiously. "Nothing."

He tilted his head curiously. "What about Endymion?"

His only answer was the slamming of the door as Usagi fled from the apartment.

* * *

Kosuke had just finished cleaning up the spilled tea when there was a pounding on his door. Quick, angry knocks that rattled the hinges.

He sighed, adjusting his tie and running a hand through his hair. He didn't check the peephole. He didn't need to.

He pulled open the door and braced himself.

She was as angry as he'd ever seen her in this lifetime, and he'd been watching her for a while.

"How dare you!" Minako said, pushing him with her palms so he nearly lost his balance. Her eyes were glittering with rage, teeth flashed behind lips that were bright red from pressing them together the entire way there, and her face was flush with anger. "You arrogant, controlling, asshole, jerk!" She pushed him again and he caught her upper arms in his hands.

"Minako -" Kosuke said. He had barely said two words to her, and wondered if a first-name basis was appropriate at this point. Her eyes flashed and he felt at a loss for words, a wholly unfamiliar feeling for him. "I-"

"You can't have her!" Minako said, "You can't take her from us again!"

"Do you think I want anything to happen to Serenity?" He said through clenched teeth, eyes searching hers. Kosuke slid his hands from her arms to her shoulders, trying desperately to concentrate - to not notice the texture of her silk shirt overlapping with the warm skin of her neck. "Do you think I would let one hair on that girl's head be damaged when I know what she means to you?"

"How should I know?" Minako cried wildly, flinging her arms out and breaking their connection. "I don't know your motivation! I don't know you at all!"

She backed away from him, down the hall into the room where Usagi had been just a half hour before.

Minako seemed less impressed with the size or decor of the apartment, she barely glanced at the view. She merely ran a tired, agitated hand through her hair and sized Kosuke up with her cornflower blue eyes. "You prick," she said.

Kosuke swallowed. "You knew me," he said.

"I knew you," she conceded. "I knew you and you tried to kill me so forgive me,_ Kunzite_, if I don't immediately trust you with the most important person in the world."

"I know what she means to you," he said.

"To _me_?" Minako said, incredulously. "Not to him? Or the world? Or to your precious battle against the Dark Kingdom?"

"You have to admit, it'd be an asset-"

"Using the crystal's full power would kill her," Minako took a step forward, locking her gaze with Kosuke's. "Destroy her. Burn her up until there is nothing left." She made a sweeping motion with her hands. "No more Usagi. Gone." Minako's voice broke, and her eyes filled with tears.

Kosuke had to clench his fists to keep from reaching out for her.

"There are nine people on this planet who do anything to prevent that," he said.

"I don't believe it," Minako snapped. "You just want the Dark Kingdom gone, whatever the cost. You think that will somehow erase what happened before."

Kosuke took a deep breath. "We know it won't. I want the Dark Kingdom gone so you and the prince and princess can be safe again. That's all. If I have to give my life for that, I will."

Minako's lower lip quivered and she covered her mouth with her hand to muffle a sob. "I hate you," she choked out, turning away from him, toward the lights of the city blurring with her tears.

"Minako, I won't let anything happen to you. Or your princess. I promise."

She rounded on him and he caught her, his hands on her waist and her hair was everywhere. "I-"

"You always make promises you can't keep! You asshole!" And her mouth was just barely brushing his. He moved his hand across her stomach, the other crept up into her hair.

"Minako-" he practically groaned.

She kissed him just like that, her hands pulling on his belt to bring him closer to her, her lips on his mouth, his neck, his ear.

"Say it," she demanded. "Say my name." Minako pressed her knee to the outside of his leg, pulled herself closer. "Say my _real_ name."

Kosuke froze, his hand still caught in a fistful of blonde hair.

She pulled back, tears again dancing in her blue eyes. "See," she said. "You don't know it. _I_ don't even know which one it is, don't worry."

And she was, once again, backing away from him. "This was stupid before and it's stupid now," she said, finger-combing her hair back into place.

Kosuke stood by the wall, tie undone, skirt askew. "Sometimes I feel like stupid is very underrated." He was still out of breath.

Minako didn't crack a smile. "Stay away from us and our princess. And that goes double for Mamoru. I trust his self control around Usagi - well, about as far I can I throw _you_."

"If I remember correctly, you can throw me pretty far."

The door slammed.

On the way home, Minako didn't allow herself to cry. She looked at the rising moon, the dead world now eternally silent and locked forever in its floating grave. "There are worse things than heartbreak," she whispered.

* * *

**A.N.**

So hopefully that wasn't too slow (? Please tell me what you think!) Next chapter should pick things up a bit. Actually, some stuff from next chapter was supposed to happen in this chapter but this one got too long ha ha.

**Here's an _omake_ little extra story:**

Nate starred wide-eyed at the boxes and bags piled around Mamoru's living room. "Zachery," he said, "what the fuck?"

"What?"

"There's more in the car," Mamoru called helpfully through the open door of his bedroom.

"Zachery, do you know how small our new place is going to be?"

"Small places need bedsheets, too," Zachery said, shrugging. He sat in the chair next to the sofa and opened a magazine nonchalantly. "I've been living at a hotel, I needed towels, sheets, pillows, appliances -"

"Okay-"

"Not to mention kitchenware, clothespins, slippers, aprons-"

"Okay, okay, but what's this?" Nate said, pulling a small, blue and white striped item from one of the bags.

"A throw pillow," Zachery answered, "obviously."

"A thr- Zachery our apartment is 540 square feet. We have no where to THROW a throw pillow. I just - Mamoru are you HEARING this? He bought like twenty of these things."

"Throw pillows actually sound like a nice touch, Nate," Mamoru said and Nate swore he could _hear_ the smirk in the other man's voice.

"And what's this-"

"A rug," Zachery said. "Have you never been _inside_ before?"

Nate began to rummage through the bags with abandon.

"WE DON'T NEED A RU- Zachery. Zachery. What in the name of all that is good and holy - Did you or did you not buy a decorative wall art?"

"Did. And the furniture is being delivered when we move in on Wednesday."

"What furniture? I said we need a table. That's it. That's all there is room for. A table and we sleep on futon and I - what did you order?"

"I took measurements don't worry. It's all very classy. You'll be happy."

"I - Zachery. Five hundred and forty square feet. I - have to go lay down. But I can't because the sofa is covered in bags of throw pillows and decorative wall art."

Zachery sighed, and rolled his eyes. "You'll thank me. Trust me."

Nate just groaned, covering his face with his hands. "And I signed a year lease."

**End**

Think Nate knows in canon he got an entire evil mansion?


	5. Chapter 4

Usagi's soda and omrice were long since finished, and every so often she'd reached up and smear a cold french fry into her ketchup, pop it into her mouth and chew without really tasting it.

Minako had pulled Usagi, after class, into the recently reopened Crown Fruits Parlor, under the pretense of a friendly girl's date, but it quickly became apparent what she really wanted to talk about:

Kosuke. And what he told Usagi at his apartment the previous Friday.

The smaller girl, for her part, had no problems telling Minako everything that was said.

Well, almost everything. She left out what Kosuke said about Mamoru. Usagi wondered if it was relevant, or even true for that matter, and had a sinking feeling it would make Minako angry either way. And Minako would tell Usagi, again, to stay away from Mamoru.

Not that Usagi needed that warning - Mamoru had been polite but cool with her every time she had seen him since the battle at Crown. And she had run into him in the strangest places, at a bus stop near her student bookstore, outside the bridal dress shop across town when she'd been with Naru - but never in their usual hangouts.

Usagi sighed, and twirled the straw in her empty, making the ice clink against the glass.

"Well," Usagi said, finally. "I told you my part." She raised dark blue eyes to Minako's lighter ones. "Now your turn."

"M-my...?" Minako blinked, finally sipped the tea she ordered, making a face at how cold it had become. "What do you mean?"

"Confirm or deny it," Usagi said. "What he told me. I'm this Princess Serenity. You are my senshi, from so long ago the earth itself doesn't even remember."

Minako lowered her eyes.

"When you die, in my dreams, it's not a dream is it?" Usagi's voice shook, "it's real. It's a memory."

Minako sighed. "It's real." She looked at Usagi, searchingly. "What else do you remember?"

Usagi swallowed. Hard. "There was a war," she whispered. "It was... with Earth."

Minako nodded, silently.

"Those four men," she said, "Kosuke and them. They were. They were there..."

"They were leaders on their planet, this planet," Minako said, evenly. Her voice showing no more emotion than if it was a history lesson in school. "Important people, powerful. They lead the attack against our kingdom - _your_ kingdom."

Usagi's brows knitted. Something wasn't adding up. "But Kosuke said the Dark Kingdom -"

"The Dark Kingdom infected Earth, brought about the attack," Minako said.

"They didn't have to do much," Minako continued, making Usagi look up in surprise. "The Earth and Moon were not on good terms. Consider it almost like a cold war. The Dark Kingdom took an opportunity, and ran with it."

"Usagi," she said, firmly, "Those men were not our allies back then. And they are not our allies now."

Usagi blinked, suddenly feeling hurt and confused and unsure why. She put her hands to her chest and tried to sort out the ancient feelings bubbling from her chest - wholly alien and ungrounded - like all the emotions that spill forth in her dreams. She felt... betrayed.

Minako read the sadness in Usagi's face and her expression softened, "Of course, don't confuse the earth of back then with the planet we protect today. The people in our beloved city, the world we live to cherish and protect. We always wanted what was best. Your mother, the queen, died to save this planet- and that's why we were sent here. This realm is now our responsibility as well, and all the people in it."

Usagi nodded, biting her lip. "We won't let them down, nor you." Minako reached across the table and grabbed Usagi's hand. "You may not have a kingdom anymore, but you are still our precious friend and we won't let the Dark Kingdom kill you."

"I'm their unfinished business, aren't I?" Usagi whispered.

"Part of it," Minako said. Then she added, with a levity that sounded forced despite her best efforts, "But that's a silly way to put it. You watch too many movies."

* * *

"Hey, what time is it?" Nate asked the next day, rushing from the bathroom with a toothbrush still in one hand and a hairbrush in the other.

Mamoru seemed surprised by the question. "Um-"

"You were just staring at your watch for like five minutes, how do you not know what _time_ it is?!" Nate said, struggling to get the brush through his thick, wavy hair. Just then there was a knock on the door and Nate rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, I'm glad I'm moving out tomorrow into a building with a working buzzer," he opened the door to Kosuke and Jun, "See, any riff-raff can just come in off the street."

"Good morning to you, too," Kosuke said. Jun waved.

"Good morning, and I'm off," Nate said, waving. "I'm so late that I'm going to have to make this part of my lesson. What to say in English when you are twenty minutes late for your own class. Yes, students, I meant to do this. All part of the learning process. Etc. etc. Bye!" He continued to speak as he walked down the hall and pushed the elevator button, decided it was too long a wait and took off down the stairs.

The three men watched him go and then glanced at each other.

Mamoru said, "You two can stay if you want to, but I'm leaving." He lifted his bag over his shoulder, and looked at Jun. "By the way, how was your night in Yokohama last Friday?"

Jun glanced at Kosuke and fidgeted nervously. "It was alright."

"It was nice of Kosuke to set you up in a such a fancy hotel there."

"Yeah..."

Mamoru seemed to think for a second, before taking his bag off his shoulder and punching Kosuke in the face so quickly that neither of them had time to react until Kosuke was against the wall, hand to his nose with a look of shock and Mamoru was clutching his hand and wincing a little.

"HOLY SHIT!" Jun cried out. "OH MY GOD, FUCK, MAMORU, WHAT THE HELL."

"I guess I deserved that," Kosuke muttered, wiping his nose and cringing a little at the blood on the back of his hand. Mamoru wasn't really trying, he hoped. Endymion, at the height of his training, could have broken his nose easily and without flinching.

"Did she show up?" Mamoru sneered, still holding his hand. The tension that had been coiled in his body every time he looked at Kosuke in the past week seemed to have dissipated a little bit, but he was still looking at his friend with anger and disgust in his eyes. "Did your little plan work?"

Kosuke didn't have to ask who Mamoru meant by 'she'. It wasn't Usagi. "She did. She was angry."

"Angrier than you." Kosuke continued, "If you can believe it."

Mamoru's face didn't change, even as Jun ran back to them with ice and a towel for Kosuke's bleeding nose. Mamoru waved off the cold towel Jun offered for Mamoru's knuckles.

"But that wasn't my plan," Kosuke said. "I wasn't _using_ Usagi to get to Minako, if that's what you think."

Mamoru picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder again, his eyes still stormy. "I don't know what to think," he said. "About anything."

"I told Usagi who she was - _is_ - and what she's up against. It's only fair, Mamoru! That she know. My only intent is to allow the princess to make her own decisions and be fully aware of the situation."

Mamoru didn't say anything. Jun was silent, too, watching this unfold with baited breath.

"That's not your call," Mamoru said, finally.

"I agree," Kosuke said. "But who's is it?"

Mamoru seemed thrown by that question, but he recovered quickly. "You didn't tell her about _your_ part in all of this, in the final destruction of everything, did you?"

Kosuke shook his head. He removed the towel to note the bleeding had stopped. "I didn't tell her your part either, Prince."

Mamoru just glared, clenching both fists.

"Fuck, dude, look out," Jun muttered, "he _punches_." Mamoru just rolled his eyes at Jun and left the apartment.

"Are you okay?" Jun asked. At Kosuke's nod, Jun let out a low whistle. "Nate and Zachery are gonna be _so pissed_ they missed that."

* * *

Nate was woken up by a frantic knocking at the door. Disoriented, he ran a hand over his face and blinked around in confusion at the dark apartment and glowing numbers on the microwave announcing the time as after 2am.

"Thanks for letting me stay with you, Mamoru, but also, fuck this place," he muttered to himself as he stumbled toward the door, ready to tell some drunk college kids they had the wrong apartment. He was shocked to open the door to see Usagi, huddled in a jean jacket thrown over a pink dress. Her hair was up in its usual two buns, but disheveled, as if she'd pulled it up in a hurry without even looking a mirror. Her eyes were anxious.

"I-I'm so sorry, Nate," she stuttered, coloring bright red as he waved her in, "Is- I had to- it's just -" She still stood just inside the doorway, nervously slipping off her shoes, still clutching her jacket around her like a security blanket.

Nate rapped twice on Mamoru's bedroom door, not taking his worried eyes off the girl before him. "I know it's late," she said. "More than late. It's just I didn't know the phone number and - I shouldn't even - I should go." Mortified, she turned to go, when Mamoru opened his door looked at her in surprise from the doorway of his room.

"Usagi?"

When Mamoru said her name, her whole face crumbled. All the resolve, all the self-control she'd been carefully building around him just dissolved into the midnight hours stretching all around them, into the grief and fear she still felt since waking just a half hour before.

She had just seen those blue eyes close forever, his lips breathe their last word - one word - 'Serenity-'

_That had been her name. And with that name she saw him. Just flashes: a smile, a hand on hers, curled around a sword. "Like this, Serenity - god you are terrible at this -" a laugh, "that's called a peach - how many did you eat?" - serious now, his eyes looked at her, _Mamoru's_ eyes, but she called him another name. She felt his fingertips against the side of her face, his lips on hers. 'We weren't supposed to love each other.'_

Usagi didn't even look up, just ran three steps down the hall and launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in his chest. Usagi felt him startle, tense under her touch. She didn't care. "Mamoru," she sobbed, only realizing she was crying when she felt the damp on the soft cotton of his t-shirt, "you're okay."

Mamoru looked at Nate with a startled expression, and the other man just shrugged.

"Usagi," he said, and she was dimly aware of his arms coming up around her, of his hand stroking the back of her head, this thumb tracing the part between her pigtails. "What-"

"I had a dream that you died," she murmured into his shirt. Usagi didn't release him, just clutched him tighter, gripping the fabric of his shirt in her fists. She didn't care if he was annoyed at her, if he wanted her to leave, that she'd basically just barged into his apartment in the middle of the night and woken up him and his roommate because of what could be written off as a nightmare.

_She had watched Mamoru die_. And now Usagi needed, _demanded_, to know he was okay. To feel his heart beating under her ear, to feel him warm and solid beneath her hands. Mamoru could kick her out after she determined he was alive, warm, safe, solid and real.

"I'm fine," he murmured, "it's okay."

"Don't leave again," she found herself saying, words bubbling up with her tears, pouring past her lips and out of her control, "please don't leave me, Mamoru, don't go away to America or anywhere else, stay by my side please-" She lifted her arms to wind them around his neck and he made a sound deep in his throat. Kosuke's words suddenly came flooding back into Usagi's already overloaded mind, "_he's in love with you."_

Lifting her head, Usagi looked up at him almost curiously. He was looking at her seriously, his hair messy from sleep, falling into his face, blue eyes searching hers with concern. _Eyes so blue_, she thought, brushing some strands back from his face, _so blue just like his planet... that beautiful orb in our sky..._

She understood now. Why it hurt her so much when they attacked. When the Earth betrayed their eternal guardians and turned on the Moon Kingdom so savagely. Because he _was_ earth - he was -_  
_

They both jumped when Nate cleared his throat loudly from the sofa. "You two mind maybe closing the door, some of us have to move furniture tomorrow."

Usagi blinked for a second, then leaned across Mamoru and pressed her palm to the bedroom door until it closed behind them. The room was dim except for a desklamp and the moonlight shining in from an open window. The muffled sounds of a never-sleeping city echoed up from the street level.

Slowly, gently, Usagi took one of Mamoru's hands in her own, splayed her fingers out and linked them through his.

"Mamoru," she whispered, "Endymion..." he startled a little at the other name, but didn't pull away. She looked up at him with luminous, curious eyes. "Is it true?" She asked, not letting him break from her gaze, demanding an answer to the only question that mattered to her. "Do you love me?"

* * *

"So please explain why I was woken up at three in the morning by a cab driver saying he needed me to come down and pay fare?" Kosuke said with no small amount of irritation. Jun was yawning, sprawled out on a nearby sofa.

Nate shrugged. "Because I don't have taxi fare, and the buses and trains won't be running for another hour or two at least."

"And-"

"Oh, and Tsukino Usagi is at Mamoru's apartment right now," he added, nonchalantly. "Do you have any food here or is this all just fancy artwork and flatscreen tvs?"

"The princess is there now?" Kosuke said, sitting up straighter.

Nate continued to talk as he wandered around Kosuke's apartment, "Yeah, I figured it could go one of two ways, since there is no way he's sending her home at three am. One, he's all gentlemanly and lets her sleep on the sofa, and I really don't feel like crashing in the bathtub tonight. Or, two, he's, well - not gentlemanly and I don't want to be on the other side of the door just hanging out while that is going on. I feel like I paid my dues back in the time of the Silver Millennium, am I right? I'm right. Seriously, do you not have a kitchen or what is the deal with this place?"

"Nate, _why_ is Serenity there in the middle of the night?"

Nate shrugged, "Old habits? And call her Usagi, you don't want to get punched again."

Jun sniggered.

"Nate," Kosuke said, warningly.

"Fine, fine," the other man said, having discovered the kitchen and pulling out a package of snack crackers, "She had a nightmare. Or perhaps a memory. I think she's starting to remember- who he is."

Kosuke smiled a little. "Good."

"Why though?" Jun asked. "I mean, I'm not saying it's bad, it's nice for them to be happy, blah blah miracle love, whatever, but why are you so gung-ho to match-make those two all of a sudden? I like Serenity, too, but you are like, Miss Lonely Hearts over here."

Kosuke raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think having the prince and princess as united front is a good thing?"

"I guess?" Nate said, sending Jun a quizzical look.

"Well, I do." Kosuke said. "I very much do."

* * *

**A week later**

Usagi stood on her tip-toes to reach the metal security grate that covered Osa-P Jewellery's front door when the shop was closed. With a grunt she pulled it down and then pushed with her small arms until it wound reluctantly to the dirty city sidewalk. Puffing, Usagi ran her hand over her sweaty forehand and made a face.

"This was much easier when Makoto would could meet me after work," she said out loud to no one. Actually, it was rare for her to close alone. Usually Naru's mom made sure employees closed in doubles, but Naru had a 'wedding dress emergency' that evening, so Usagi was locking up by herself.

And usually one or more of Usagi's friends - _senshi_- she corrected in her mind would insist on meeting her and walking her home if she worked until closing.

But the girls, as far as she knew, weren't exactly on speaking terms with her at the moment.

They didn't even know she was closing alone - Usagi was pretty sure they'd throw a fit and force her to quit her job.

She rolled her eyes.

They used to be so close, just a normal group of friends, having fun and sharing secrets, ... then about a year ago something happened and Usagi noticed they were secretive, more serious, and suddenly so much more protective of her. It only now finally made sense.

Kneeling to turn the heavy key into the lock at the bottom of the grate, Usagi rose and sighed at the darkening sky and crescent moon high in the sky.

And they it seemed the girls were keeping even more secrets, sharing more pointed glances over her head, and visibly bristling whenever Mamoru or his four friends were mentioned, even in passing.

And Kosuke seemed to make it his business to be wherever Usagi was and 'happen to run into her', in a context Usagi was sure was anything but coincidental.

Usagi felt like she was in the middle of a power struggle but she couldn't tell if she was the prize or the ammunition.

"This sucks," she said, again, out loud and to no one.

_"Does it, little princess?"_ a voice like death wound like ice around her body and Usagi slid her eyes to her left and dropped her shoulders in a slump before turning to face the faceless shadow behind her.

The monster was all red eyes and formless form, all shadow and hissing and hate and fear. Directed right at her.

Funny how she'd almost been expecting this.

* * *

I KNOW I KNOW

1. what happened in Mamoru's apartment after Usagi asked him that question omfg and 2. who ends a chapter like this?

okay. 1. will be told in flashback I promise (unless you don't care, let me know in review like w/e)

and 2. I'm sorry more was gonna happen but what a good stopping point amirite? I'm right.


	6. Chapter 5

Sorry guys, I had this written for a long time- except for _one scene_ which was giving me trouble. It's still not perfect but I figured if I waited until I was happy with it, well, this would stay unfinished forever. ha.

I tried to make it clear but just in case I didn't: this chapter rewinds a little from the end of the previous one - taking place a week before the "week later" chapter at the end of 4.

* * *

Rei Hino was only a morning person by necessity. If left to her own devices, she imagined she'd like to sleep in - not until noon like Usagi - but leisurely until nine or so - maybe eating a pastry and coffee while reading by midmorning light from the comfort of bed.

However, the life of a college student who also managed one of the most famous shrines in the ward demanded early hours. Rei groaned, pushing unruly bangs back from her face with a grimace, blinking in the early morning light. One day she was retiring to France. Yes, that was the plan. Maybe Makoto could come with, open a bakery, make her fresh croissants...

Lost in her daydream of a day in which she got to sleep past six, it took Rei a few moments to realize the incessant sound assaulting her ears wasn't her alarm clock, but her cell phone. She answered with an annoyed growl. "Minako, this better be good."

"Usagi was at Kosuke's yesterday," Minako said, her voice pinched. "They had 'tea'."

"And?" Rei said, around the ponytail holder in her mouth. She quickly pulled her hair back and shifted the phone to her other ear, "What did he say to her?"

"I don't know, I'm gonna ask her later today at the crown."

Rei paused, sighed. "Minako, have you slept?"

"No," Minako said. "I walked the city all night. I can't - I can't I don't know what to do. It's hard enough keeping the Dark Kingdom at bay, now the shitennou - Rei, the goddamn shitennou - are talking to her and I don't- I really let Kosuke have it. He's lucky he's alive right now."

Rei cringed at the way Minako's voice broke a little.

"Do you want to come here?" Rei said finally. "I can skip class and we can talk it out. I'll call Mako-chan over-"

"No," Minako's voice was tinny, staticy. Rei had no idea where the blonde was, but she suddenly seemed so far away. "But we need to talk later about what to do about Usagi."

It was decided they'd meet later that week, and keep one girl on Usagi throughout the week. Luna would do her due diligence as guardian cum house-pet throughout the nights.

Rei was just about to hang up when Minako added one last thing after their goodbyes.

"You know what the worst part is, Rei? I really miss just being her friend."

* * *

On Wednesday morning, Rei stood outside Osa-p, twisting her wrist to check the time, when Naru ran up to her all sweet smiles and pink cheeks. "Oh! Hello Miss Hino!" she greeted. "I'm taking Usagi's shift today. With all the covering she's been doing for me lately, I figured I could do this one favor for her."

Naru turned the key and lifted the metal grate, and opened the door to the shop, but kept the sign turned to "closed". "I have a few more things to do before I open, but would you like to come in?" She said politely.

Rei declined, fist closing around her notebook as she walked away, black high-heels clicking a staccato out on the sidewalk.

"Mako-chan, the thing is, I missed a class for this," Rei said into her cell. A few blocks away, Makoto rested the payphone receiver on her shoulder, shrugging slightly.

"I don't know what to say, Rei," she said. "Usagi is Usagi. She isn't obligated to tell us where she is every minute of every day-"

"No," Rei said, "she knew I was meeting her at Osa-p at 9:30, it's ten am, Minako is god-knows-where, Ami is at the clinic, you are doing lunch-rush prep at the cafe-"

"We are all trying to have lives," Makoto said, "and so is she."

"She's the _princess_," Rei said, "she_ is_ our life right now. At least until we defeat the Dark Kingdom and make sure she's safe. But she needs to stay in one place and - hold on. Shit. There they are." Rei flipped her phone closed and made her way toward Usagi and Minako, who seemed to be in the middle of a very heated discussion.

"Rei-" Makoto blinked as the phone cut off and the dialtone replaced Rei's annoyed voice. She sighed, brushed sweaty bangs back from her forehead and stepped outside into the summer heat. Her fifteen minute break was almost over, and she hadn't even had her lunch yet. Damn.

"There you are!" Rei said, pushing Usagi slightly in the shoulder in half-relief, half-annoyance. "I waited this morning. Naru said you weren't even working."

"I-"

"Hey, weren't you wearing that yesterday?" Rei asked, pointing at Usagi's pink dress and jean jacket.

"That's what I said," Minako said, crossly.

"Jeeze, you guys!" Usagi said, throwing up her arms. "I used to wear the same outfit every single weekday and you never gave me flack for that before."

"Yeah," Rei said, "that's because you were in high school, and it was a uniform."

Minako huffed. "I was just trying to figure where you _were_ last night, Usagi."

"Nowhere I was going to get attacked by monsters, Minako, I promise."

"Nobody thought we'd get attacked in Crown, either-"

"Minako! Jeeze, I was fine-" Usagi started to walk away and Minako grabbed her arm.

"Usagi!"

The smaller girl whirled around and faced her friend, surprise written all over her features.

"Minako, honestly, you aren't my mother! And my _actual_ mother, by the way, was fine with the note I left her so I don't see why you-"

"You don't know how important you are! You can't just run off at two in the morning and-"

"Wait, how did you know that I left at two am?" Usagi asked, backing away slightly, and crossing her arms across her chest.

Minako and Rei froze, exchanging glances. "Are you watching my_ house_?" Usagi said, a flash of betrayal crossing her face before bewilderment set in.

"Not ... exactly." Minako said. In actuality, Luna had called her as soon as Usagi had left the house - pulling on yesterday's clothes, throwing her hair up and running out the door with her face still tear-stained from her nightmare. Minako and Artemis had spent the night awake and worried, alert for any sort of energy signature from the Dark Kingdom. Minako was tired. And angry.

"_Not exactly_? What does that mean?!" Usagi's face was pink and her hands fisted in the folds of her skirt. "You aren't telling me something again. I'm so sick of this," her voice broke and her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sick of the secrets and lies and the constant,_ constant_ monitoring of me. It's suffocating!"

Rei had been reaching out to her, but pulled back at Usagi's last words, hurt coloring her face.

"Well, we don't like it either!" she snapped. "I missed a class this morning because of you! One I happened to want to do well in, but forget that - not with the way things are going lately!"

"I didn't ask for you to skip class!" Usagi rounded on Rei, on Minako. "I didn't _ask_ for any of this!"

"None of us did!" Minako said and then blinked and seemed surprised by her own words.

Usagi froze and then nodded slightly in the ensuing silence.

"You're right," she said, finally. "You're right. None of you asked for this. So, if I really am this princess -_ your_ princess - I can order you all to stop wasting your lives on me right now."

"Usa-"

Usagi turned and walked away, her jacket still pulled around her even in the heat.

Minako looked at Rei. "Well, shit," she said, her face falling. Rei ran to her and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"What do we do now?" Rei whispered.

"What we always do," Minako said.

As soon as Usagi was out of sight of her friends, she ran blindly - muscle memory taking her home. As if she was a young girl, and not a 19 year old woman, she ran through the door, up the stairs and slammed her door. She curled up on her bed and pulled her head into her arms. Luna padded up to her, nuzzled her hand and Usagi pulled the cat into a hug, hot tears landing on Luna's fur. She didn't pull away.

"Oh, Luna I made such a mistake," Usagi said. "I said such horrible things." She swiped her eyes with an impatient hand. "I am still such a baby, aren't I? But - you know, I just...

I miss just being their friend."

* * *

"What do you think that was _about_ anyway?" Makoto said, later that day.

Artemis sighed and shook his head.

"She must have been reacting to something else," Ami's intelligent voice chimed in, from Rei's speaker phone, "not just you two. You were asking about last night? What exactly happened? Where was she?"

Makoto and Minako shrugged but Rei narrowed her eyes and stood up. "I think I might know. You guys can hang out here just don't mess things up too badly while I'm gone."

Rei tossed a length of jet-black hair over her shoulder as she left the shrine, skirt swirling around her legs, heels clicking dangerously on the stairs. The crows called out a hollow cry as the black-haired former priestess exited the shrine making a strangely ominous silhouette the searing early afternoon sun.

"I feel sorry for whoever she sees next," Artemis said, sweat-dropping a little.

* * *

"Hi Rei!" Jun waved cheerfully from Mamoru's doorway, not noticing or caring about Rei's murderous face.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, peering over his shoulder into the chaos that was Mamoru's living room.

"It's moving day!" Jun said. "Nate and Zachery are moving into their new place, so Kosuke and them are moving boxes and furniture and I'm watching stuff here."

Rei raised one perfect eyebrow and Jun flushed a little. "Fine," he said, "I dropped one too many boxes and they regulated me to supervising duty over here. But both doors need to be propped open here and at street level so they need someone to guard things!" He puffed up his chest. "No one will be stealing throw pillows on my watch!"

"So Mamoru is helping them move?" Rei kicked a box a little with one stockinged foot.

"Nah, he has to work today," Jun rolled his eyes, "anything to get out of helping, right? Hah, anyway, Kosuke has his driver downst-" He was cut off by Rei stepping over a pile of blankets to blink violet eyes right into his blue ones.

"Sorry," she said, much-too-sweetly. "Maybe I wasn't clear that I wasn't here to make friendly conversation?"

Jun suddenly seemed to put two and two together and faltered a little. "Um, I'm not sure what you-"

"Just have some things to ask Mamoru when he comes back, have him call me." Rei's eyes flashed dangerously.

Jun made a face. "Well, I need you to promise you aren't threatening Mamoru any bodily harm because I am his guardian," he smiled disarmingly. "And all."

Rei rolled her eyes, plucked a pillow from the sofa and walked until her face was mere inches from his. "Just. want. to. talk," she said, tossing the pillow at him violently. He caught it expertly.

"Sure thing." He winked. She glared. And her hair brushed against his face as she stormed out, passing Nate and Zachery in the hallway without a backward glance.

"What was that?" Zachery asked.

"That," Jun said, "was _awesome_."

* * *

Usagi lay on her bed, blinking up at the ceiling expressionlessly, tear-tracks already drying on her face. Luna had padded out of the room a while ago, leaving Usagi to her wandering thoughts.

_"Do you love me?"_

Usagi still wasn't sure what possessed her to blurt that out to Mamoru, but at the time it was as if she was speaking from a part of her that _needed_ to know- before she took another step down this pathway into painful memories and dark pasts - that he was with her. Like he was then.

He had faltered, only for a second. "Usagi-" his fingertips brushed the side of her face and neck, just like at Osa-P, only now there were no customers, no cameras, nothing but the two of them- disheveled, sleepy, confused. She found herself involuntarily leaning toward him, until his lips barely brushed hers. Usagi was tingling, forgetting about ancient princes and foggy memories of a past life - only thinking this was _Mamoru: _the older boy who used to tease her and make her furious, whose half-smiles made her heart pound. The boy she fell in love with - the one who left her two years ago with barely a word.

Mamoru pulled away before she could, as if her almost-kiss had burned him. "I- I will keep you safe," he said by way of answer, moving past her to sit on the bed - head buried in his hands.

"That's not what I asked," Usagi said, trying to keep the hitch from her voice. "I have more than enough people concerned with my _safety, _Mamoru. I can even learn to protect myself, I think," she added, remembering the burst of power from her palm, the surging from deep in her chest where something pulsed and waited. "I asked if you love me."

He groaned, his fingers twisting in his hair.

"Did you really leave for me?" she stepped closer, stopping just in front of him, tilting her head until one ponytail nearly brushed the carpeted floor. "Did you really come back for me?"

At his lack of an answer, Usagi grabbed his wrists and pulled his hands away from his face. "Answer me!" she demanded, kneeling in front of him, her hands still curled around his wrists, his pulse beating steadily against her palms. Sad blue eyes met hers.

"I was starting to remember and I wanted to- had to- leave you out of it," he murmured. "You were just a regular, happy girl. There was no need for you to remember, to relive what ... what happened back then. Because of me. Because of us."

Usagi looked up at him as her hands slid from his wrists to his hands, fingers linking together. "We weren't supposed to love each other back then. But we did anyway," she murmured, her eyes taking a dreamy, glazed look as she tried to dig for the memories it seemed nobody wanted to her to find.

"We tried, back then," Mamoru said. "We tried not to fall in love. We tried to stay away from each other."

"Did we?" She looked up at him, eyes still half-lidded. It didn't take much, a brush of her hands up his arms, to his hair, her lips hovering over his as she stood now - over him, her hair falling to either side of his shoulders. It didn't take much at all until he finally kissed her. Something in him seemed to break, and suddenly he was pulling her into his arms with a desperation that shocked her.

Usagi had had dates, even boyfriends, before, and wasn't completely inexperienced - but Mamoru was different. She'd been in love with him since she was fourteen and he was always -quite literally- the one who got away. Not to mention, oh god, how badly she'd dreamed of this and how much she _cared_ for him. Usagi wasn't an idiot, she knew the reasons why this whole thing was a bad idea and could list them easily. But then he was murmuring to her, while his hands brushed through her hair and against her stomach, and she was pulling at his t-shirt and Usagi knew it was useless to pretend she would do anything but surrender.

Usagi also knew if Serenity was anything _anything_ like Usagi - she didn't try at all to stay away from Endymion. Maybe he tried. Maybe she wouldn't let him. Maybe Serenity did exactly what Usagi did that night, and demanded every emotion laid bare, every impulse surrendered to and every murmured promise kept a thousand times over. And, like Mamoru, Endymion would never deny her.

_It was all her fault._

That was why she had left his apartment that morning before Mamoru even awoke, grateful to see that she didn't have to sneak by Nate, who wasn't there.

Usagi had wondered lost in blue-morning city streets with early risers and hung-over night revelers alike, and had ended up at Naru's. She asked to spend the rest of the morning there - collapsing in Naru's bed while her red-headed friend took Usagi's morning shift at Osa-P. Naru's open, cheerful face was such a relief to Usagi - she just wanted to be with someone who wasn't part of all this mess, who didn't think of Usagi as a living ghost of a girl who died thousands of years ago.

Usagi shook herself out of her memories. She rolled to her side in her bed and curled her knees to her chest, biting at her nail and starring again at her cell phone.

3 missed calls.

Naru, Ami, and her mother.

None were him.

Did he even know her number?

She rolled to her back again and blinked away a fresh set of tears. He sure had given up easily. Then again, she couldn't blame him. After all, it was for the best. Wasn't that why he'd ran away in the first place, went to America for two damn years and only came back when her life was in danger?

In a previous life their love had caused a war that destroyed two worlds. Mamoru - Endymion- had _died _because of her. It was best to end things with Mamoru before they went any further than they already had. The girls would certainly agree.

The girls...

Usagi cringed again thinking about how she had yelled at them, and what she had said.

Running into Minako and Rei, getting the third degree about her whereabouts the night before - it was too much. She just snapped.

"I can't do this," she moaned into her hands. "How can I do this?"

Her silent room had no answer.

* * *

The week went by at a torturous, glacial crawl. Minako gave her a forgiving smile during class, and Rei and the others continued on as if nothing happened. But Usagi knew she was the one pulling away - still guilty and confused. The senshi continued to hover as much as they always had, but this time from a distance. Usagi had barely spoken to any of them, all week.

And she hadn't spoken to Mamoru at all. When he ducked into Osa-P once during her shift, Usagi had darted into the back and told Naru she was taking her break. He didn't come back again.

Kosuke, however, either at Mamoru's behest or, more likely, working on his own, had made it his business to accidentally-on-purpose run into Usagi most days. Checking up on her, the blonde was sure of it.

There were no attacks, but Usagi's nightmares grew steadily worse. Every night she saw her friends destroyed, Mamoru die in her arms, and over it all came a haunting, chilling laughter that seemed somehow familiar...

But now when she awoke she could do nothing but hold Luna and cry to herself.

"This sucks," she said into the night, as she closed Osa-P behind her.

_"Does it, little princess?"_

The monster was all red eyes and formless form, all shadow and hissing and hate and fear. Directed right at her.

Funny how she'd almost been expecting this. Usagi turned, not noticing the small black cat who ran off as fast as she could into the night.

* * *

Usagi clenched her fists and starred down the shadow in front of her. She tried to slow her breathing, to remember what had sparked whatever power had bloomed from her before.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she said, her voice shaking. "Princess?"

The creature actually hesitated for a moment. Then, a beam of energy was sent straight at Usagi and she screamed and dodged it, falling to the dirty sidewalk with a groan. She rolled and fumbled for her cell phone with shaking fingers. "I'm calling the police," she managed to bluff, hoping to fool the monster into thinking she was just a helpless civilian, trying to push down the thought that for all intents and purposes, that's what she _was_. Instead she tried desperately to push her speed dial for Minako's number. Another blast struck her and a blinding pain ripped through her arm.

The monster had her in it's grip, raised fiery eyes straight to Usagi's. The cell phone fell, and skittered uselessly off into the night.

Usagi reached desperately for the power she had felt during the last attack, but couldn't remember anything but fear, pain, helplessness...

"USAGI!" the familiar voice hit her like a wave of relief and suddenly with the shout of a few attacks she was surrounded in fog, and dropped onto the ground again. She scrambled up with a gloved hand around her arm.

Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Jupiter had the monster - youma they called it - locked in a battle. Sailor Venus had Usagi by the arm, eyes darting around the chaos for any other potential dangers. "Stay here," she murmured to Usagi, before joining the others in the fight.

The fog cleared and Usagi wilted, clutching at her arm. The monster - youma - turned mirthless eyes to her and seemed to smile even as Venus leveled her final, fatal attack straight at it.

"Checkmate," it whispered.

And in the last moment as it disappeared it sent one last final arm toward Usagi, circling her waist and locking her in it's grip.

The girls called her name in a panic, and some new, male, voices joined their worried cries - but Usagi could barely hear them through the pain ripping through her body as the youma planned to take her with it to its violent grave.

_You won't take me that easily_, she thought, gritting her teeth and struggling as hard as she could against the waves of energy that pulsed through her body. _You won't take me from them. Not again_. For a moment something inside her sparked.

"No, Usagi! Stop!" Minako's voice rose above the others, "Don't show them who you are!"

A sword sliced through the youma's arm, and Usagi fell -this time into someone's arms instead of the sidewalk - she managed to think she was grateful to be spared from slamming into the ground for a third time that night. The moon symbol flashed on her forehead for a moment, fading away as she sank into unconsciousness.

Kunzite dropped the sword with a wince, the latent energy of the senshi's attacks on the youma painfully lancing up his arm. Then he turned and gasped:

"Jadeite!"

The blond shitennou fell to the ground, clutching his chest. "Are you alright?" Kunzite asked, sharply.

Jadeite shook his head, swallowing the taste of blood and making a face. "Um- I don't... really think so," he managed to say. In helping to free Usagi, he had gotten the youma's arm to his chest, and the force of all the senshi's attacks unleashed into his body. He coughed a little, his whole body heaving as the others surrounded him in concern.

"Someone call a doctor," Zoicite said, eyes darting around group.

"I don't even know what you would tell a medical professional in this case," Sailor Mercury said.

Mamoru shifted Usagi from his arms to Sailor Jupiter's, and stepped toward Jadeite, "I can see what I can do," he said.

"We need to power down," Sailor Jupiter told the others, "and quickly. It's not that late, someone will have heard something. The police will be here soon."

Mamoru and Kunzite - now Kosuke - fussed over Jadeite, whose glamor flickered a little before he was just Jun again, pale and trembling, blood leaking out the side of his mouth.

Sailor Mars knelt beside Jadeite, cringing a little. "Jun?" she said, concern looking out-of-place as it settled across her features.

"We said we would... protect your princess," he said, looking right at her.

She shook her head, eyes wide and disbelieving. "You- you-"

Somewhere, in the distance, sirens wailed.

"Rei," Minako said softly, putting her hand on her friend's shoulder. "The police will be here any minute. You have to detransform. We have to get out of here." Sailor Mars' mouth trembled and she shook her head.

"We have to get _Usagi_ out of here," Minako said.

At that, Mars nodded and in a flash of light Rei Hino stood in her place, pale and shaking.

Mamoru pressed his hand to Jun's wrist, a look of concern twisting his features. "We need to get everyone somewhere safe."

"My place," Kosuke said.

The others hesitated, exchanged glances. Jun groaned.

Kosuke's eyes narrowed. "This isn't exactly the time to argue."

Minako swallowed and looked at Usagi, who stirred in Makoto's arms and mumbled something. The moon insignia flashed on her forehead again, a beacon to anyone who might be watching.

"Okay, we're going," she said.

They left just as the first raindrops started to fall.

* * *

OKAY like maybe two more parts idk. I'm terrible at conclusions, I'm nervous heh


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